For Sari Jörgensen (24), big changes start with small disasters. Twice, fate tampered with the "Downhill Cinderella's" director's book. It's a bittersweet fairy tale. One that began on cloud nine, but is still waiting for its happy ending. It all began in 1997 in a hotel garage. Sari was sixteen. Everyone in the family had packed up. The youngster was due to compete against the best in the world at the Downhill World Cup in Canada. But the night before the race, the bike disappeared from the hotel garage. It seemed like the end. It became a beginning. The Yeti team lent her a bike. She raced to ninth place on it, was allowed to keep the bike and was also given a professional contract. She dropped out of tenth grade, went to America, became world champion and was hysterically hyped up by the media as the "Downhill Cinderella". Fate had rolled out the red carpet. "I'm living my dream," she enthused in an interview at the time. Then fate brutally pulled the rug out from under her feet. In autumn 2000, Sari's dream came crashing down on a ski jump along with all sorts of bones. "It's unbelievable how long ago that all happened," laughs Sari, scooping instant coffee powder into a cup of hot water.
