ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — lindsay vonn I wasn’t going to risk everything inside her. The first race of the World Cup is back More than 5 years have passed since I retired.
She has no history of accidents or injuries.
Her new titanium knees aren’t.
Not 40 years old.
Vonn took a low-risk approach and finished 14th in Saturday’s super-G, 1.18 seconds behind. Austrian winner Cornelia Hütter.
“This was the perfect start,” Vonn said. “Today was just a first step and I’m not looking for more. Today I really needed to get to the end. I wanted to get a solid result. And that’s exactly what I did. That’s it.
“I still have a lot of unfinished business,” Vonn added. “Today wasn’t the day to try anything special.”
Still, as Vonn descended, the crowd of Swiss-flag-waving fans fell silent in anticipation as all the other top skiers watched her ski through the Alps on a perfectly sunny day.
“It’s really great to have her back on the world stage,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of US Ski & Snowboard. “Just the attention she’s bringing to this sport and the fact that she’s a role model is a great day.
“Moments like this go beyond just sports; we see that Michaela (Shiffrin) And what she’s done recently is set all the records, which is also just superhuman. ”
Vonn lost some time in the early stages, but was on par with the top competitors in the middle and lower sections of the Corviglia course.
When she reached the finish line and checked her time, Vonn smiled broadly and waved to the crowd.
“I didn’t risk anything with the line. I was a little conservative in some sections, but overall I skated very well. Now I just need to be a little faster on the top section and I’m in really good shape. I can do it,” said Vonn, who will race another super-G in St. Moritz on Sunday.
Vonn finished less than a second off the podium. Olympic champion Lara Gut Behrami 2nd place, 0.18 difference from Hütter. Sofia Goggia 3rd place with a difference of 0.33.
“We’re really close to getting there,” Vonn said. “I’m not quite there yet.”
Vonn started at No. 31 under the new wild card rule for former champions. But that still meant going after all the current top-ranked skiers finished their races.
“The course was a little bumpy when I went, so I was a little conservative with my line in some sections,” she said. “But it was really fast in some sections.”
Vonn had to cut her career short in 2019 due to a series of accidents and injuries, before undergoing knee replacement surgery in April. 2 titanium pieces It was inserted into my right knee. Her knee felt better than it had in years, so she decided to come back.
“The last few years of my career have been very different than they are now,” Vonn said. “I ski without thinking about my knee. I haven’t done that since I tore my ACL for the first time in 2013, so it’s been a while since I’ve felt this good. , I’m a little older, but to be honest, I’m a lot stronger than I was before.
8-time World Cup overall champion marcel hirscher He also took advantage of the wild card rule and returned this season for the first time in five years. But then Hirscher tore his left anterior cruciate ligament while training for giant slalom and announced earlier this month: his comeback season is over.
Vonn finished the tour with 82 World Cup wins. This was a female record at the time, and she was within reach of the then-current Alpine record of 86 wins held by Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark. The women’s record held by Vonn was broken last year by Shiffrin, who now holds the perfect record with 99 wins.
Shiffrin, who shares the record of five wins at St. Moritz with Bonn, will miss this weekend as she recovers from an illness. abdominal surgery It was to heal a stab wound sustained in an accident last month.
Vonn is entering uncharted territory in terms of succeeding at an advanced age in women’s skiing.
Who is the oldest woman to win a World Cup race? Federica Brignonethe 34-year-old Italian athlete, started the season by winning the giant slalom in Sölden, Austria, in October.
“Very impressive,” said Vonn’s U.S. teammate. Jacqueline Wildsnoted that Vonn hadn’t done as much preseason preparation as other skiers. “If anyone can do it, she should be able to do it. As she gets more comfortable and gets her speed back, she’ll get right in there.”
So will Vonn take an even tougher charge on Sunday?
“One step at a time,” Vonn said. “Patience.”
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AP ski: https://apnews.com/hub/Alpine Skiing
