TARVISIO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn’s concussion may turn out to have been a blessing in disguise.
Having skipped the second half of last month’s world championships to recover, the Olympic downhill champion appears to be in top form for the tense finale of the World Cup circuit.
The Vail resident clinched her third discipline title in three days with a super-G victory Sunday to wrap up a memorable weekend of racing.
“I knew that if I could get my head to be free of any symptoms that I could ski the way I know that I can ski,” Vonn said. “It was just a matter of being able to focus and concentrate that was slowing me down.
“That time off was what has enabled me to ski the way I am now. I’m thankful that we had the foresight to do that, and that I had support from my doctors, my coaches and my husband.”
Vonn took the super-combined and downhill titles the past two days and has moved within 96 points of German rival and good friend Maria Riesch in the overall standings with six races left this season.
Vonn sliced 100 points off Riesch’s overall lead this weekend, and holds an insurmountable 171-point lead over the German in the super-G standings.
It’s been quite a turnaround from a couple weeks ago, when Vonn wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to win again, reporting that she felt like she was “skiing in a fog,” with her body one gate ahead of her mind after falling on her head in giant slalom training.
Vonn spent the second half of worlds recovering at a wellness center in Austria.
“We were definitely in a low place just a couple weeks ago,” said Thomas Vonn, the skier’s husband and chief adviser. “We didn’t know. Everything was question marks, because you just don’t know what’s going to happen with head injuries. It could be that six months later she’s still having symptoms and big trouble, so obviously we got really lucky on a lot of fronts that she was able to heal up and regain her old form.”
Vonn also said she was “definitely worried.”
“But I was trying to give it as much time as I could — that’s why I took so much time off,” she said. “I didn’t ski for a week after the downhill race and I think by being a little overly cautious in that direction helped me to get back to where I am now.”
Vonn was virtually flawless, clocking 1 minute, 21.75 seconds to finish 0.23 ahead of fellow American Julia Mancuso and 0.50 in front of Riesch.
In a banner day for the Americans, World Cup rookie Laurenne Ross of Klamath Falls, Ore., was fourth, 0.70 behind, for her career-best result.
