Sweden and Norway are old and great rivals on snow and ice, but, as Sara Hector and Thea Louise Stjernesund showed at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday, sometimes the best things in life are shared. Or, as the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them.
The two Alpine skiers, one Swedish and the other Norwegian, set exactly the same time in the first run of the women's giant slalom. Then they did it again in the second run to share the silver medal behind Italian winner and double gold medalist Federica Brignone.
The chances of that happening? Slightly better than the average lottery ticket — "One in a million," said Hector, the Beijing 2022 gold medalist.
The pair had to share the leader's seat at the finish area with Italian-born Lara Colturi, who races for Albania, after a three-way tie at the top in the first run, until Brignone came down and smoked their time.
In the second run, the pair were again squeezed in together, waiting for Brignone to oust them.
"I remember Sara asked me after the second run, 'Did you feel as bad as I did?'" said Stjernesund with a smile. "So I think we also did not just ski the same, but we shared the same feeling while we skied. So it was in one way fun that it turned out to be a bit like us against the others."
Hector said it was cool to share the silver, and the pair were again united at the medal ceremony when they knelt together on the snow in exaggerated obeisance to Brignone, the Tiger and queen of the gleaming Olimpia delle Tofane slope.
"We win together, for sure," said Hector. "It's like they say, feelings are better when they are shared."
Sweden and Norway now have one medal each in the Alpine skiing table. In cross country skiing, where the rivalry is far fiercer, the two countries have taken a majority of the medals, with the Norwegians ahead thanks to their domination in the men's events.
"In Alpine skiing, it's very like camaraderie ... we have such a nice atmosphere here," said Hector.