Breckenridge’s Katie Uhlaender finished 11th in skeleton, 10 months after shattering a kneecap in a snowmobile accident on Vail Pass.
Uhlaender had to undergo four surgeries to repair the damage. She also was mourning the death of her father Ted, who played Major League Baseball.
“I feel honored to be here,” said Uhlaender, a two-time World Cup winner. “I was on crutches until September. I had broken my knee, and my father had passed away, so I did what I could. I made it here and I’m happy.”
Uhlaender, who was ninth after the first two runs Thursday, had her best time in Friday’s final run, going in 54.35 seconds. Her four-run combined time was 3 minutes, 37.93 seconds.
Noelle Pikus-Pace of Orem, Utah, finished fourth in a race won by Amy Williams of Great Britain.
“Oh, man, so close — a 10th of a second,” Pikus-Pace said. “I had a blast here. I feel like I did my best. Fourth by a 10th of a second, but I was racing with the best women in the world.”
