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SPORTS A19
Thursday 3 March 2016
Lindsey Vonn ends early because of left knee injury
CHRIS LEHOURITES immediately. She doesn’t Maze, who’s taking the In this Feb. 28, 2016, file photo, Lindsey Vonn, of the United
AP Sports Writer want to jeopardize things season off, added the States, speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women’s
A hairline fracture in her left going forward. Not with the hashtags “protect your- World Cup, combined race, in Soldeu, Andorra.
knee didn’t deter Lindsey world championships in St. self” and “get well soon.”
Vonn. Still, she raced. Moritz, Switzerland, next Vonn’s list of injuries over Associated Press
Three significant-sized frac- season and the 2018 Winter the years is quite long. She
tures that could — if they Olympics in South Korea on withdrew midway through a rocky start. A broken an- stitches in her right thumb
became any worse — lead the horizon. the 2011 world champion- kle kept her out of the sea- after trying to break up a
to surgery and possibly an “I cannot take that risk,” ships because of a con- son-opening giant slalom in fight between her dogs
end to her career? Now the 31-year-old Vonn said. cussion. She raced with a Austria. Then, she needed over a Frisbee.
that got the attention of Still, Vonn has had quite a severely bruised shin at the
the all-time winningest fe- season: 2010 Olympics. She hurt her
male World Cup skier. — Adding nine more World knee in training and missed
Vonn announced Wednes- Cup wins to her resume to a pair of races at the 2007
day that she was leaving bring the record to 76 and worlds and took a scary fall
the racing circuit early after close the gap on the all- during training at the 2006
an MRI revealed the injury time mark of 86 victories Olympics, then left the hos-
in her tibial plateau — the held by Ingemar Stenmark pital to compete.
top of the shinbone at the of Sweden. And while Vonn captured
knee joint — was more seri- — Winning a downhill in Olympic gold in the down-
ous than first believed. She Cortina to eclipse Annema- hill at the 2010 Vancouver
crashed over the week- rie Moser-Proell’s mark of Games, she couldn’t de-
end, but competed the 36 career wins in skiing’s fend her crown four years
next day. marquee event. Vonn then later in Sochi because of a
And this was shaping up for won a super-G for her 11th serious knee injury.
quite a finish, too. With eight career victory at the Italian Even this season got off to
races to go, Vonn leads the resort, breaking the record
overall World Cup stand- of retired Austrian standout
ings with 1,235 points, fol- Renate Goetschl.
lowed closely by Lara Gut — Capturing the overall
of Switzerland with 1,207. downhill discipline title this
Viktoria Rebensburg of season, which was her 20th
Germany is third with 914. crystal globe. That broke
“Because I am currently the mark of 19 held by
leading the overall World Stenmark.
Cup standings, this is one “I am very proud of what I
of the toughest decisions have been able to accom-
of my career,” Vonn said plish this year,” Vonn said.
on her Facebook page. Her top rival felt her pain.
“While I am confident that “It’s a real shame that the
I’m making the right deci- tense fight for the over-
sion, it still doesn’t make this all title can’t last until the
decision any easier.’ end,” Gut said in a Swiss
Lately, Vonn’s injuries and ski federation statement. “I
ailments have been piling wish Lindsey Vonn a good
up like her accomplish- recovery and a successful
ments. Even the best aren’t return next season.”
immune to wipeouts in This has been a strange sea-
such a demanding sport. son for injuries to some of
Vonn crashed on Satur- the circuit’s biggest names.
day during a super-G race Defending champ Anna
in Andorra after hitting a Fenninger of Austria missed
patch of soft snow. X-rays the year with a knee injury,
showed a hairline fracture while Olympic and world
in her tibial plateau and champion Mikaela Shiffrin
yet she decided to race of the U.S. only recently re-
Sunday in the combined turned after missing a good
event, extending her over- portion of the season when
all lead by finishing in 13th she tore the medial collat-
place. On Wednesday, eral ligament in her right
she revealed the injury was knee during a training run.
much worse. Men’s overall leader Aksel
“The fractures are not hair- Lund Svindal of Norway
line, but instead they are was also ruled out for the
significant enough that season with a right knee in-
they are not sufficiently sta- jury from a crash in January
ble to permit me to safely in Kitzbuehel, Austria.
continue skiing,” Vonn said. “Pretty unusual ... season
Because of the test results, with all injuries,” Slovenian
the four-time overall World standout Tina Maze said on
Cup champion said she Twitter. “Ah, but life goes
decided to end her season on! What to do?”
