Two-time world champion Lindsey Vonn of Vail was named the female athlete of the decade Friday by NBC’s Universal Sports. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, received the male honor.
“It’s incredible to think about where I was as a person and an athlete in 2000 and then compare that to where I am now,” Vonn said. “Skiing is my life, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I’ve traveled the world, raced in two Olympics and am getting ready for a third. It’s what I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid.”
NBC Universal cited Vonn’s determination to return to the slopes after injuries: an eighth-place finish in the 2006 Winter Olympics downhill after a horrible crash during training, and competing in the 2009 FIS world championships in France after severing a tendon in her thumb on a broken champagne bottle. Vonn was celebrating her wins in the super-G and downhill when the accident happened.
“It’s really hard to quantify the last two seasons,” Vonn said. “Definitely winning the downhill world championship was the biggest single day of my career, but I’m hoping to change that in Vancouver. I’ve never won an Olympic medal — one of any color will be just fine for me, and I’m going to work harder than ever to put myself in a position to make that happen.”
Barbarians coach named player of decade.
named Denver Barbarians coach Dave Hodges its player of the decade. Hodges was the USA national team captain 27 times from 2000 through 2003. In explaining the selection, Alex Goff of said: “If you’re young, you may not appreciate this, but life for a professional American rugby player in the early part of the decade was very tough. There was no talk of resting players, and with a heavy test schedule in the summer, offseasons didn’t exist. For most of his professional and international career, from 1997 to 2004, Hodges hardly ever took a month off. He played as many as 48 games in a year and continued to give everything he had.”
Eagles stymied.
One night after Colorado Eagles goaltender Mike Mole stopped 44-of-45 shots in a Central Hockey League win, the Allen (Texas) Americans did the same to Colorado. Chris Whitley stopped all but one of the 45 shots he faced, and the host Americans won 5-1. Aaron Schneekloth had the lone Eagles goal.
