Kostelic fails to find the hunger to race again

The pain was no longer worth it for Janica Kostelic.
    The most successful female skier in Olympic history, who recently announced her retirement from skiing, would much rather be spending her time at her beauty salon.
    ''I like to do my nails, and I couldn't find a good place to do them so I thought why couldn't I do one myself?'' Kostelic told The Associated Press on Saturday from Port America's Cup, where the Louis Vuitton Cup is being held.
    ''You take some time off and then you're hungry for skiing again and I thought that was going to happen but I was not that hungry again,'' Kostelic added. ''If I started training again, it was painful and I thought why should I have pain if I don't have to.''
 

VALENCIA, Spain — The pain was no longer worth it for Janica Kostelic.
    The most successful female skier in Olympic history, who recently announced her retirement from skiing, would much rather be spending her time at her beauty salon.
    ''I like to do my nails, and I couldn't find a good place to do them so I thought why couldn't I do one myself?'' Kostelic told The Associated Press on Saturday from Port America's Cup, where the Louis Vuitton Cup is being held.
    ''You take some time off and then you're hungry for skiing again and I thought that was going to happen but I was not that hungry again,'' Kostelic added. ''If I started training again, it was painful and I thought why should I have pain if I don't have to.''
    The four-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time overall World Cup champion from Croatia missed most of the last season to rehabilitate from injury. She has had 10 knee operations and also had surgery to fix her thyroid.
    ''There are a lot of other things to do in life than just skiing'' said Kostelic, who has long scars across both knees. ''Some people who are just skiing until they are 35 or 36, they don't have anything other to do in their life.''
    The 25-year-old Croat does have something to do since opening her beauty salon in Rijeka, Croatia, last month.
    ''It's working well, I don't have anything to do with the beauty, I'm just the boss,'' Kostelic said.
    Kostelic won gold and silver at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, adding to her three golds and a silver from Salt Lake City in 2002. She has won 30 World Cup races and is only the third woman to post victories in all five alpine disciplines.
    Kostelic did not entirely rule out a comeback.
    ''Some people think it's smart that I retire because I've been injured so many times,'' she said. ''Some people think once I lose all my money I will come back. I never really cared what people think of me.''
    Kostelic said she wanted more than skiing at this stage of her life.
    ''I did what I did and did it the best I can, but I don't think it's anything special,'' Kostelic said. ''You need something else.''

    — The Associated Press