Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Tuesday 12 February 2019
Pinturault ends

long wait for

individual gold

By STEVE DOUGLAS then — with the top six all
AP Sports Writer preferring the shorter and
ARE, Sweden (AP) — With more technical leg. Stefan
the Alpine combined pos- Hadalin of Slovenia came
sibly getting axed from ma- second in a big shock and
jor skiing championships, Marco Schwarz of Austria
Alexis Pinturault had one took bronze, 0.46 behind
final chance to assert his Pinturault.
long-time dominance of And that perhaps explains
the event. why the combined is under
He didn't waste it. threat as the International
The French skier produced Ski Federation decides on France's Alexis Pinturault speeds down the course during the slalom portion of the men's com-
the second-fastest slalom the future of Alpine skiing's bined competition, at the alpine ski World Championships in Are, Sweden, Monday, Feb. 11, 2019.
leg to rise from 24th place original Olympic discipline. Associated Press
after the downhill portion FIS could replace Alpine
and win by 0.24 seconds at combined with parallel sla- the past five World Cup where I have fallen on dif- Pinturault, who describes
the world championships lom racing at future Olym- combined titles. ficult times in my career as himself as “French-Norwe-
on Monday. pics and world champion- Before Monday, however, an athlete," said Pinturault, gian” because his mother,
It was Pinturault's first indi- ships. he had yet to transfer his who cried after failing to Hege, is from Norway, was
vidual gold medal at a ma- Pinturault said he would be consistent winning form on win a gold medal at the aided by the absence of
jor championship. "sad" to see the combined the World Cup circuit into worlds in St. Moritz, Switzer- Marcel Hirscher, the Olym-
This was a day for the sla- disappear from the sched- gold at a major champion- land, in 2017. "But it has al- pic champion in combined
lom specialists in the com- ule. That's not a surprise, ship. lowed me to learn, to per- and a seven-time overall
bined — no change there, given he has won four of "There's been a lot of years severe." World Cup champion.q
A PERFECT DAY knocked the wind out of other than go fast and win.
Continued from Previous Page Vonn but gave her a black "I wish I could have gotten
There's no way Vonn could eye and a bruised rib. That (87) but not at the risk of the
understand. She knew only was on top of the ligament rest of my life," she said.
one way, and that was to Vonn tore in her left knee The numbers Vonn put up
go as fast as she can be- three months ago, and the over the years are stagger-
fore she could go no more. aches and pains that had ing, even if just one gold
That time came Sunday, to make her feel much old- medal in four Olympics
and there was no way er than 34. seems not nearly enough.
Vonn was going home The plan had been to ski More importantly, perhaps,
without a medal. another year before say- Vonn put a face — most
It was a bronze in the down- ing goodbye. But Vonn's often a smiling one — on a
hill, but it was just as good body wouldn't cooperate, sport that was in desperate
as gold. If this was Vonn's and the decision she didn't need of a star.
final day as a ski racer — want to make was made "She is a PR machine, if you
and every aching bone in for her. want, for our sport," said
her body said it was — she She could have coasted From left, second placed Corinne Suter of Switzerland, winner Gian-Franco Kasper, presi-
wasn't going to leave any- down on one ceremonial Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia, and third placed Lindsey Vonn of the dent of the International Ski
thing in the tank. final run before basking in United States pose during the medal ceremony for the women's Federation.
downhill race at the alpine ski World Championships in Are,
Then again, Vonn never the applause at the bot- Sweden, Sunday, Feb.10, 2019. She was on this final week,
leaves anything in the tank. tom of the hill. But Vonn Associated Press with a crash and then a
"I think everyone knows never coasted, and she medal that was like a mini
my mentality at this point," wasn't about to in her final anxiety. I think I wanted one, even the best female soap opera of her entire
Vonn said afterward. "I al- race. more than anything to fin- ski racer on the planet. career. The sun came out
ways risk everything all the She willed herself to the ish strong." Mike Tyson used to say box- just as she prepared to en-
time. It's the reason I'm able starting gate one last time, Consider that one final task ing was a hurt sport. So is ter the gate for one last
to win so much but also the catching a break because accomplished. The record downhill racing, and Vonn's time, and Stenmark himself
reason I crash so much." the course had been short- books will show that Slove- own body is proof. was waiting at the bottom
The wins piled up over the ened due to weather. Then nia's Ilka Stuhec won the She'll begin her retirement of the hill with a giant spray
years, 82 of them in all, she flew down the hill as gold, but this was Vonn's with her seventh knee sur- of flowers.
more than any skier not fast as she could, hoping day and this was Vonn's gery — this one a total re- The nerves went away, the
named Ingemar Stenmark. her body would somehow race. construction — and knows pain subsided ever so brief-
So, though, did the crashes, stay in one piece at least to She invited Stenmark, the she'll have pain the rest of ly. Then Vonn went flying
costing her even more wins the finish line. Swedish great, to the final her life from the rods, plates down the hill on a magical
and the Olympic med- It did, in a storybook finish and that was fitting. Sten- and screws inserted in her run that Hollywood couldn't
als that often define the to one of the most remark- mark holds the record for various parts. have scripted any better.
greats. able careers ever. most races won at 86, a Going on simply wasn't "Just a perfect day for
The last came five days be- "I risked it all today as al- mark Vonn had her eyes on an option anymore, even downhill," Vonn said.
fore her final medal, a fall ways," Vonn said. "I was before finally realizing that for the woman who never And a perfect way to say
in the super-G that not only so nervous all day, serious Father Time beats every- wanted to do anything goodbye to a legend.q