Vail’s Lindsey Vonn has decided to skip the remaining events at the world alpine championships, hoping that nine or 10 days away from skiing will allow her to overcome the lingering effects of a concussion she suffered Feb. 2.
Vonn won a silver medal in downhill Sunday, .44 of a second behind gold medal winner Elisabeth Goergl of Austria. She will miss the world championships slalom and giant slalom, her weakest events.
“It’s been a really difficult few weeks and at every stage, I’ve had 100 percent confidence in the medical advice I’ve been provided and believe we’ve made the right decisions,” said Vonn. “I’m a competitor and I love to race, that’s what makes this a really tough choice, but I do feel it’s the right one.”
Vonn expects to return to World Cup racing Feb. 27 in Are, Sweden. She is in a battle with Germany’s Maria Riesch to defend her World Cup overall title. Vonn is leading in the downhill, super-G and super combined standings but trails Riesch by 156 points in the overall chase.
