...Twenty-year-old Karine Ruby of Chamonix, France, was the overwhelming favourite, having won seven of the eight pre-Olympic World Cup competitions.
1.83 seconds to victory
She had no trouble living up to expectations. Ruby's first run time of 1:09.33 led the field by an impressive 1.97 seconds. She protected her lead with a relatively careful second run and won by 1.83 seconds. During the Salt Lake City Games in 2002 she earned the silver medal in the giant parallel slalom and she also participated in Turin four years later.