Renner skis for Canada. She and her partner, Beckie Scott, were to ski six laps between them, alternating each lap. On Renner’s second lap, the pair was in second place, flying along, when . . .
Snap.
Renner’s ski pole broke.
A cross-country skier without a pole is like a hockey player without a stick, or a canoeist without a paddle.
"All of a sudden, I was kind of flapping one arm," Renner said. "The next thing I knew, there were three racers in front of me."
Renner had invested her life to be in this position. She had her tyroid removed after being diagnosed with Graves disease six years ago. She had pressed on, and at that moment it was all slipping away — the dream, the work, everything.
She watched other skiers go past her, utterly helpless to keep up.
And then something miraculous happened. A man standing near the course handed his ski pole to Renner.It wasn’t the right length for her, but it was something to fight back with. She started skiing again, and hard. If she could just get to the transition area, she could let Scott, her teammate, take over.
"He gave me a chance," said Renner, who called him her "mystery man."
And who was this man ? Here.
I found it via Deesha.
And if you are wondering what charityfocus is, you can visit www.charityfocus.org
No comments:
Post a Comment