But real breakthrough came late for Majdič; after achieving two more podium finishes in 2002, she struggled for four years to make a major progress.

As a skier from outside the World Cup elite and from a low-ranked country, she was unable to get the same quality skis as her competitors.

Additionally, she earned a silver in the individual sprint at the 2007 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

[5] She earned the highest praise from other skiers, staff and the media for her amazing bravery as she attended the medal giving ceremony with a tube in her chest to relieve pneumothorax.

[7] Two days after the race she was awarded with the Golden Order for Services by the President of Slovenia Danilo Türk.

The award is conferred each year by the readers of Jana, the oldest women's magazine in Slovenia.

Her coach Ivan Hudač persuaded her to continue with her career for at least another year and after a successful preparation period she was fit enough to start the 2010–11 season along with other top skiers.

It took Majdič only two World Cup races to get back to the podium, she was second in 1.2 km classic sprint of Kuusamo.

She moved on to win a bronze medal in freestyle sprint of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Oslo.