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sportsSaturday 13 January 2018
With Olympics looming, Vonn’s priority is avoiding injury
By ERIC WILLEMSEN
Associated Press
BAD KLEINKIRCHHEIM, Aus-
tria (AP) — After a four-
week break from racing,
American standout Lindsey
Vonn is returning to the Al- super-G is first,” Vonn said.
pine skiing World Cup this
weekend with an unusual
mindset.
For the most successful
female skier of all time,
Vonn’s main priority at the
first speed events of 2018
won’t be winning.
With only 40 days left until
her season highlight, the
Olympic downhill in Py-
eongchang, avoiding inju-
ries is all that matters.
“I feel solid but my focus
this season is on the Olym-
pics. So I am not going to
risk anything this weekend,”
Vonn told The Associated
Press on Friday after taking
part in a shortened train-
ing session. She was wor-
ried because the snow on
parts of the Karnten-Franz
Klammer course was still
too weak after heavy rain
this week and mild tem-
peratures. “The top is good
but the bottom is not safe
to race,” she said. Organiz-
ers swapped the program
for this weekend by push-
ing back the downhill to
Sunday and rescheduling
a super-G for Saturday, as
a downhill can be staged
only after competitors have
In this Aug. 15, 2017, file photo, Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh
Donaldson hits a three-run home run against the Tampa Bay
Rays during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Toronto. agreed to a $23 million contract Friday,
at least one training run on
the entire course.
“I am also not sure why the
“Considering the snow
conditions, it would be bet-
ter to do the downhill first
but, again, I don’t know.
We haven’t inspected the
bottom part of the course
so I am not really sure what
the reason behind it is.”
Vonn said she would make
her own decision about
racing or not after check-
ing the course on Saturday,
saying she would rather sit
it out “if conditions aren’t
good enough to run.”
Vonn badly injured her right
knee landing in a patch of
soft snow during the 2013
world championships,
which ultimately ruled the
2010 Olympic downhill
champion out of the Sochi
Games the following year. United States’ Lindsey Vonn starts a partial training of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill,
It explains the 33-year-old in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria, Friday, Jan. 12, 2018.
American’s cautiousness Associated Press
going into what likely will full speed during the first 24th place. Vonn hasn’t had a good block at home
be her last Olympics. downhill in Lake Louise in raced since Dec. 16 when in Colorado. I was able to
Her season so far has been early December, and fin- she earned her 78th ca- do a lot of condition train-
rather rough. ished only 12th in another reer win at a super-G in Val ing and got some GS and
Trying to improve her rank- downhill the next day. She d’Isere, France. The follow- slalom in as well.”
ing ahead of the Olympic crashed again in a super- ing day, she took part in Vonn practicing slalom un-
giant slalom, she failed to G on the third day of rac- the early morning inspec- derlined her ambition to
qualify for the second run ing at the Canadian resort tion for another super-G at start in the Olympic com-
of the season-opening GS where she won 18 times in the resort but then decided bined event as well.
in Soelden, Austria, in Oc- the past. against racing, citing a sore “I feel good, definitely,”
tober. A week later, she jarred knee, and flew home. Vonn said, adding the
Focusing on the speed her back in a super-G in St. “The last race in Val d’Isere knee was hampering her
events since, she landed Moritz, Switzerland, com- I skied very well,” she said. “not more than usual. I feel
in the safety netting at pleting the race in pain in “It still wasn’t my best but I decent.”q
Josh Donaldson agrees to $23M,
1-year deal with Blue Jays
TORONTO (AP) — Third baseman Josh $1,812,500, outfielder Kevin Pillar for $3.25
Donaldson and the Toronto Blue Jays million, right-hander Aaron Sanchez for
$2.7 million, second baseman Devon
the largest one-year deal for an arbitra- Travis for $1.45 million and right-hander
Associated Press tion-eligible player. Dominic Leone for $1,085,000.
The 32-year-old, a three-time All-Star, Carrera earned $1,162,500 last sea-
topped the $21,625,000, one-year deal son, when the 30-year-old Venezuelan
covering 2018 agreed to last May by played every outfield spot and batted
outfielder Bryce Harper and Washington. .282 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in a
Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP, got a $6 career-high 131 games for the Blue Jays
million raise after rebounding from an — 91 of those in left field.
injury-slowed 2016 to hit .270 last season Pillar batted .256 with 16 homers and 42
with 33 homers and 78 RBIs in 113 games. RBIs in 154 games.
The sure-handed infielder missed time Loup, who made $1,125,000 in 2017,
from April 14 through May 25 with a calf went 2-3 with a 3.75 ERA in 70 appear-
injury, which also hampered him during ances and 57 2/3 innings. Sanchez went
spring training. 1-3 with a 4.25 ERA in eight starts, while
Donaldson was coming off a $28.65 mil- Leone was 3-0 with a 2.56 ERA in a ca-
lion, two-year deal. He is eligible for free reer-high 65 appearances and his most
agency after this season. innings at 70 1/3.
Toronto also agreed Friday to one-year Toronto’s remaining arbitration eligible
deals with outfielder Ezequiel Carrera for players are right-handers Roberto Osuna
$1.9 million, left-hander Aaron Loup for and Marcus Stroman.q