( CNN ) -- Champion skier or female fighter pilot ? Whether to hurtle down the slopes at breakneck speed or defy G-force in the cockpit of a jet plane . The need for speed is the common theme , but it was an unusual and certainly unique career choice that faced Switzerland 's Olympic downhill gold medalist Dominique Gisin . Even as an up and coming star on the junior circuit , Gisin was plagued by persistent knee injuries and fearing for her future in the sport , turned to her second passion , flying , to make a living . She had learned to fly as a teenager and after opting for pilot training in the Swiss military was one of the star recruits . Showing the sort of determination that was to see her reach the heights of the sporting world , Gisin may well have become the first woman to pilot fighter jets for the country 's air force . Fate then played its part and , ironically as a result of her skiing injuries , the officers in charge of the flying program decided Gisin 's fragile knees would not stand the rigors of full-time military service . `` It was a risk so the decision was partly taken away from me , '' Gisin told CNN 's Alpine Edge program . `` But I never regretted . I mean I love skiing with all my heart . And although I love flying , skiing was my childhood dream . `` And all the other people that were still in the selection back then , their sole dream was to fly . I think it was a fair decision . '' The choice of skiing looked to be validated by her first World Cup podium in early 2007 , but Gisin 's injury problems continued and after a fall in downhill training she was sidelined yet again through a knee problem . Indeed during the course of her 15-year skiing career , the 28-year-old has had no less than nine operations . `` After every injury you lie in hospital and you 're like ' I 'm not going to do this again , for sure . ' But then you set little goals , '' she recalls . `` The goal that you can walk again , then that you can train again . And then that you can ski again . And then you 're back on snow and it 's just the most beautiful thing . '' Showing that trademark determination , she rebounded with her first victory on the circuit , tying for first place in a downhill at Altenmarkt with Sweden 's Anja Paerson in January 2009 . The shared victory was to set the precedent for Gisin 's ultimate triumph , topping the podium in the Sochi Winter Olympics earlier this year . Without a win at the highest level since winning her third World Cup race in 2010 , Gisin had gone into the Games with slender hopes of victory . But she had the perfect run down the treacherous Rosa Khutor piste and set a time of one minute 41.57 seconds which a host of top contenders could not match . Until Slovenia 's 30-year-old Tina Maze -- a close friend of Gisin 's -- did exactly that , posting precisely the same time down to a hundredth of a second . It was the first time in Olympic skiing history that a gold medal had to be shared . `` We 're close ; even closer now , '' Gisin joked after their joint triumph . Victory was greeting with acclaim in skiing mad Switzerland , elevating Gisin to superstar status and putting paid to any doubts she may have had about her chosen career path . Gisin still finds time to keep her license as a pilot -- getting about 25 hours of flying in her log during the off season . She feels the experiences of her twin passions have a similarity that helps her concentration for the task in hand . `` I think the freedom and the peace when you 're up in the air and when you 're on a ( racing ) course is quite similar . You focus on this very moment and that 's a beautiful thing , '' she said . Despite reaching the pinnacle of achievement with her gold medal , Gisin has no intention of retiring just yet and is focusing on the world championships in Vail early next year for another taste of global glory . `` I mean in the speed disciplines it 's all about my head . If I can find the courage , if I can find the energy to race like I did in Sochi , a lot of things are possible , '' she insists . She is also a supportive figure to her 20-year-old sister Michelle , who is beginning to make a name for herself on the women 's World Cup circuit , claiming 16th in the slalom in Aspen recently . Her 26-year-old brother Marc has also represented Switzerland on the World Cup circuit , but like his older sister has suffered a serious knee injury , tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a fall in 2012 . But showing the battling spirit which is clearly a family trait he has returned to the circuit to pursue his promising career .
Dominique Gisin won gold at the Sochi Winter Games . The French skier was born with a rare genetic disorder called Duchenne muscular dystrophy and has been competing since she was 13. Originally trained as fighter pilot in Swiss Air Force . Has battled a series of crippling knee injuries in her skiing career .