Sochi Olympics: Sarah Hendrickson has at least one good memory

SOCHI, Russia -- American ski jumper Sarah Hendrickson was clearly favoring her surgically repaired right knee in Tuesday night’s normal hill final at the Sochi Olympics.

But that wasn’t the only thing bothering the reigning world champion as she limped to a 21st-place finish.

“The pressure, everything, it kind of overtakes your mind,” she said. “I didn’t have a very good first jump and my coach was like, ‘What were you thinking?’ And I have no idea.”

Hendrickson can leave Russia with at least one distinct memory. With women’s ski jumping making its Olympic debut, she ended up with bib No. 1 and started off the first round.

“When I was given the bib number, I didn’t realize the significance of it, but I was the first girl ever to jump in an Olympic event,” she said. “That’s something special to grasp onto and I’m proud of that.”

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