A broken leg, a torn anterior cruciate ligament, damage to most of the meniscus in her knee and a blood clot. These are the painful warning signs that would cause any athlete to stop what they are doing and ask "Is it worth it?"
For Lavinia Chrystal the answer was and still is "yes it is". Although there were times when the talented downhill skier doubted it. "I did nearly walk away from skiing," Chrystal confesses.
The 24-year-old's parents believe the testing injuries only galvanized their daughter's desire to chase her Olympic ambition. "She just looked at it as another road block on a highway to achieving her dreams," Mr Chrystal reflects.
Chrystal's mother wore many hats during the eighteen months of her daughter's recover and rehabilitation- taxi driver, chef, counselor and motivator.
Mrs Chrystal believes all those roles helped the rebuilding process, but as for the most important aspect of Lavinia's recovery? "The gym was her savior."
A five-time national champion, Chrystal's journey to Sochi has at times been tormenting, but that comes with the turf. Being a slalom skiier blitzing down hill at speeds nudging 100 kilometres an hour has a certain jeopardy to it. "It is a risky and dangerous sport, but that's part of the fun and why I love it so much," she says.
After almost two years off the slopes due to those recurring injuries Chrystal now has a mad dash just to be eligible for selection. The difficult task isn't lost on the Sydney-sider. "It is a race against time. I need to have some good results in the next few months to get that last remaining spot."
Chrystal's family has a sporting pedigree that certainly gives her the credentials to have the mental strength to qualify. Her great uncle played for the Wallabies, her grandfather represented Australia in tennis (playing in three Australian Opens) and her cousin is an ocean swimmer who has conquered the English Channel and Manhattan Island.
She is doing everything to be the next in a long line of impressive athletes.
Athlete Bio
Name: Lavinia Chrystal
Age: 24
Olympic Campaigns: One (Sochi)
Event: Women's Skiing (Slalom and Giant Slalom)
Lives: Australia, Cardrona (NZ)
Twitter: @laviniachrystal
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