Fans in stitches as skiing star wins a COW at World Cup event – but it’s not the weirdest prize ever
FANS have been left in stitches as a skiing star was awarded a COW after winning the World Cup Women's Downhill in Val d'Isere.
Switzerland's Jasmine Flury was presented with the animal after claiming her first World Cup downhill title.
Flury, 30, smashed the course in a time of 1:43.47, which saw her beat out the likes of compatriot Joana Haehlen and Austria’s Cornelia Huetter.
But fans were shocked when they saw what her prize was, although Flury loved it, giving the animal a kiss on the nose.
One fan posted: "What a ridiculous 'prize'."
A second questioned: "Is the prize at the Downhill World Cup a cow? It's cute, but what should I do?"
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A third wrote: "Very strange."
Another joked: "In an alternate world, a cow just won a skier."
Flury was given a cow as her prize, however, it is primarily a symbolic gesture and money would then be given in exchange.
That was up until 2014 when American Lindsey Vonn chose to keep the calf, because it was "really cute".
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The decision proved to be the right one as the cow ended up being worth far more than the £4,000 prize money.
She told US Ski and Snowboard: "Her name is Olympe. It was an Olympic year.
"Patrick Riml [Alpine Director] had to go and negotiate for my cow.
"That cow is apparently worth $20,000 [£15,761], and they weren’t intending on actually giving it away. They assumed I would just want the $5K."
WEIRD PRIZES
However, it is not the weirdest prize to be given to a sportsperson.
Golf's Trophée Hassan II gives the choice between a jewelled ceremonial dagger over a jacket or cardigan.
Welshman Rhys Davis won the competition in 2010 and opted for the weapon.
However, he needed a special letter of permission from the Moroccan royal family in order to get it home.
The winner of the cycling race at the Paris Roubaix is presented with a cobblestone trophy.
In football, there is a wide range of differing and bizarre Man of the Match awards.
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In Zimbabwe, footballers are gifted a crate of beer, while Martin Odegaard was given a fresh fish after an impressive outing for Real Sociedad in 2019.
Franco Armani was given a paper crown from Burger King for his performance for River Plate against Danubio in 2018.
