Page 20 - aruba-today-20190211

A20 SPORTS
Monday 11 February 2019
Clink, clink: Vonn walks away with another medal

By ANDREW DAMPF and Forever A Star," read one
STEVE DOUGLAS sign positioned by the side
AP Sports Writers of the course.
ARE, Sweden (AP) — Lind- Four U.S. flags were in the
sey Vonn walked off with grandstand when Vonn
her career haul of medals came down and there
in her right hand, the gold, were quite a few cheers
silver and bronze clinking when she started her run
together almost weighing wearing a suit with blue-
her down. and-yellow trim — Swe-
Or was it the bulging knee den's colors — to honor
braces and metal support Stenmark.
rods inside her vast array of "She really deserves this
broken bones? sendoff from her great ca-
Whatever it was, the sound reer," said Eleanor Bodin, a
was a reminder of what 21-year-old fan from Swe-
Vonn has come to sym- den who was holding up a
bolize — an athlete who sign saying "Thank You Lind-
battled back from one sey."
major injury after another "She has been my favorite
throughout her career to skier since 2008 when I saw
win more ski races than any her winning on television,"
other woman. Bodin said. "I was a little
Add one more — final — United States' Lindsey Vonn shows her career's medals as she holds a press conference after tak- girl sitting on the sofa. I just
comeback to the list ing the bronze medal in the women's downhill race, at the alpine ski World Championships in Are, thought what a great skier
Five days after crashing Sweden, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. and inspiration."
in super-G — a fall that At 34, Vonn eclipsed her
knocked the wind out of through the pain one last can's two silvers at the 2007 The third skier on the course, own record from two years
her and left her with a time and I did that. ... Ev- worlds on the same course Vonn had a big smile on ago for oldest woman to
black eye and a bruised ery athlete has their own in Are were the first two ma- her face when she came win a medal at a worlds.
rib — and three months obstacles and I faced mine jor championship medals down with the fastest run to Fog and wind forced orga-
after tearing a ligament in head on today and I con- of her career. that point. She waved and nizers to shorten the course
her left knee, Vonn won the quered them." "I was weighing in my mind bowed to the crowd. to the second reserve start,
bronze medal in the world Vonn had been planning the risk of putting it all out Eventually, Ilka Stuhec of which favored Vonn be-
championship downhill on retiring in December but there, crashing and getting Slovenia beat Vonn and cause it reduced the strain
Sunday in the final race of she recently moved up her injured again, as opposed took gold, defending her on her knees.
her career. plans due to persistent pain to finishing where I wanted title from the 2017 worlds. Now she can finally let her
She's shed so many tears in both of her surgically re- to," Vonn said. "It was an in- Stuhec finished 0.23 sec- body heel and move onto
that there are none left — paired knees. Then came ternal battle." onds ahead of silver med- the next phase of her life —
just like she no longer has the super-G crash, when As soon as she exited alist Corinne Suter of Swit- possibly acting, having chil-
any cartilage in her knees. she straddled a gate in mid- the finish area, Vonn em- zerland and 0.49 ahead of dren, starting a business .
"I'm literally tapped out, I air, flew face first down the braced Swedish great In- Vonn. "I'm looking forward to just
can't cry anymore," Vonn mountain and slammed gemar Stenmark, the only "Not many were counting chilling out a bit and recov-
said. "I want to cry but it's into the safety nets. skier to win more World on (Vonn) to get the med- ering everything, including
dry. ... It's not an easy thing "She has been business as Cup races than she did — al in her last race, which my mind," Vonn said. "It's
to feel your bones hitting usual this whole week, say- 86 to 82. makes it even more spe- been a lot to process.
together and continue to ing I'm racing to win," Karin "I basically begged him to cial," Stuhec said. "She has "The nice thing is that, in
push through it. Kildow, Vonn's sister, told come here via text, in all won everything." the real world I'm actually
"Of course I'm sore. Even The Associated Press. "I was caps, many exclamation Vonn became the first fe- pretty young. I have felt
before the crash I was sore. like, 'Just maybe make it points," Vonn said. "He's an male skier to win medals really old for a long time,
So I'm just sore on top of down and maybe stand icon and a legend in our at six different world cham- because I'm racing with
sore. My neck is killing me," up.' But she was like, 'No, sport and he doesn't re- pionships. It's also her fifth girls that are like 15 years
Vonn said. "But at the end I'm going full out'. She was ally like the spotlight but he downhill medal at a worlds, younger than me. So now,
of the day no one cares definitely in the mindset to deserves to have it. I was matching the record es- in the real world, I'm nor-
if my neck hurts; they only push it and she really did." just so grateful that he was tablished by Annemarie mal. Thirty is the new 20 so
care if I win. ... I knew that It's a medal that brings there. Honestly, it's a per- Moser-Proell and Christel I'm super young. I've got a
I was capable of pushing Vonn full circle: the Ameri- fect ending to my career." Cranz. "Thank You Lindsey: lot to look forward to."q
Worlds slopestyle final canceled, medals based on qualifying

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The to the title after the finals ing to be able to ride in the emotions," Anderson said. "I attempt. She told Radio
17-year-old snowboarder were canceled Sunday final. Silje Norendal of Nor- was on the podium, but I still New Zealand she has a
from New Zealand wasn't due to strong wind gusts way wound up with the sil- wanted to have a chance concussion.
even going to compete in on the last day of the world ver, and two-time Olympic to ride better. There were "I was really stoked with
the slopestyle final Sunday championships. The orga- champion Jamie Ander- definitely some gusty winds, yesterday's run," said Sa-
after being injured during nizers based the women's son of South Lake Tahoe, and they made the best dowski-Synnott, who won
qualifying. and men's medalists on the California, finished with the decision." the slopestyle event at the
This was indeed a wind- qualifying rounds. bronze. Sadowski-Synnott turned in Winter X Games last month.
aided win for Zoi Sadowski- It was quite a break for "I was honestly pretty sad a solid first run in qualifying "I really liked the course. I
Synnott. Sadowski-Synnott, who ac- they canceled the finals. on Saturday before being thought it had a really nice
Sadowski-Synnott breezed knowledged she wasn't go- There are a lot of mixed banged up on her second flow. q