3-time Olympian (Koznick) Landa back to full health after stroke

In a series of Instagram posts, three-time Olympian Kristina (Koznick) Landa informed followers she had received a clean bill of health following heart surgery performed to correct a congenital heart condition last September.

“It worked, you guys, my heart’s looking good,” reported an elated Landa. The six-time World Cup and five-time national slalom champ had been diagnosed with a rare heart defect that led to a stroke she suffered while playing deck hockey with her son last summer. The condition known as “PFO” (Patent foramen ovale), is a condition characterized by a small, flap-like opening in the atrial wall separating the right and left upper chambers of the heart. Landa described in her post, “The flap between my two atriums was not sealed and every time I was taking a deep breath the blood would actually be flowing the wrong way through my heart”.

Good news came last week when echocardiogram tests conducted as part of a six-month post-operative check revealed that the flap had been successfully closed and sealed and that a surgical implant device supporting the prevention of blood flow between the two chambers was functioning as designed.  Landa was hopeful going into the office visit expressing that she was not experiencing any symptoms and was “trying to kinda get back into shape.”

A Minnesota native, “Koz” developed her technical skills on the runs at the infamous Buck Hill ski area outside of Minneapolis. Landa earned a spot on the U.S. Ski Team at the age of 15 and remained on it for 16 years, going on to become one of America’s most decorated female World Cup slalom racers. Boasting five national slalom titles, 20 World-Cup podium finishes, and six World Cup wins. Her best seasons would come in 1997-98 and 2001-02 when she finished runner-up in the season-long slalom standings. She was selected as Ski Racing Magazine’s Top Alpine Ski Racer of the Year in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002, and formally inducted into the US Ski-Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2014.