LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Age is never on Claudia Riegler's mind, the 52-year-old athlete said on Sunday, as she bowed out of the women's parallel giant slalom race at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Riegler, one of the oldest athletes in this edition of the Games, was eliminated after a close run against Czech two-time Olympic champion Ester Ledecka, later ousted by Austria's Sabine Payer.
"I never think about the age when I'm racing," she told reporters, adding it only becomes relevant when others bring it up. "I don't even know how old the girls are. I feel like I’m one of them," Riegler said, laughing.
She was dropped from the Austrian national team at 30 for being "too old", a moment she said sparked a two-decade mission to prove the decision wrong. "They told me I was too old. I said to myself, 'no – that can't be the truth'. I had to find my own truth," she said.
It took her three years of racing independently to force her way back into the squad, helped by strong World Cup results in 2005 and a coaching shake-up that allowed her back in.
Riegler, born in 1973, just completed her fifth Winter Games, having first raced on the World Cup circuit in 1994.
She said December had gone well, but a negative performance in January left her fighting doubts before arriving in the Italian Alpine town of Livigno where snowboard competitions are being staged until February 22. But she still pushed Ledecka in her final run.
"I'm really proud that I'm here today and that I had a really good run against Ester," she said. "She shows the world there are no limits if you believe in yourself," referring to the fact that the Czech athlete races in two different disciplines.
Asked whether this might be her last Olympics, Riegler said she would continue, pointing to next year's world championships on home snow, in Austria, as a potential career finale.
"That would be a nice ending," she said. Her secret, she added, lies in listening to her body, keeping a positive mindset and drawing strength from family and friends who support her daily.
"Age motivates me as well," she said. "I've always believed anything is possible."
(Editing by Christian Radnedge)
