BEAVER CREEK — The last time Lindsey Vonn raced in a world championships super-G, it ended badly and caused a two-year interruption of her career that she has only recently overcome.
In the super-G here Tuesday that will be the opening race of the world championships, Vonn will be heavily favored, as she was two years ago when she was injured in a race in Austria she thought should have been postponed because of unsafe conditions.
PHOTOS:
“It’s been a long two years, but I don’t think about the past at all,” Vonn said after Monday’s downhill training run. “I’m really happy to be here, to be healthy, to be skiing well. I’m just enjoying the moment. I’m a lot more relaxed and a lot more happy than I have been.”
At the , Austria, Vonn flew long off a jump and landed in soft snow where no other racers had been. Her right ski stopped and her body didn’t. She crashed, tearing the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligament in her knee and also doing damage to her tibial plateau.
The start of that race was delayed several times because of fog. Vonn felt the crash was not her fault and blamed the race jury.
In recent weeks, Vonn has looked like the racer who dominated her sport before that crash. She is a two-time world championships medalist in super-G and won two World Cup super-G races this month in Europe. She also has three wins in downhill this season.
“I never doubted myself,” Vonn said. “I always believed that I would be back, I just didn’t know how long it would take. Definitely been a lot quicker rise to the top than I had expected, but obviously very thankful for how things have gone. Just really happy to be back at home and healthy, feeling good, feeling confident.”
Download:
When the world championships were here in 1999, Vonn was a 14-year-old racer for Ski & Snowboard Club Vail. She got to be a course “slipper,” side-slipping loose snow off the course between racers. Seeing SSCV kids on the course Monday brought her back to those days.
“I remember being in the exact same position,” Vonn said. “Everything has come full circle. I’m back here, hometown, racing the world championships, something most athletes don’t get a chance to do. I’m very grateful and looking forward to trying my best.”
Vonn’s teammates have had several opportunities to train on the new Raptor course, but she has been here only once before, when the U.S. downhillers trained here a month ago. They only trained in super-G and giant slalom, so Monday marked her first chance to run downhill on the course.
Vonn also missed World Cup downhill and super-G races held here in November of 2013 because of her crash at Schladming and a subsequent reinjury of the knee that fall.
“It was a little different bit than I expected, just as far as the terrain and how they set it, but it was perfect,” Vonn said. “I really loved it. I just have to get a better feeling for it the next couple of days. Super-G, I feel really comfortable and confident, but downhill I think I need a little more training. (Monday) was a fine start, and hopefully (Tuesday) is a good day.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616, jmeyer@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnmeyer
FIS alpine world ski championships
The Vail Valley will host its third world championships over the next two weeks, with all but one race taking place at Beaver Creek:
Viewing: Admission is free for skiers and nonskiers. Temporary bleachers have been erected at the Red Tail finish area, and there are good viewing areas alongside the two courses. A large viewing screen has been erected at the finish.
Getting there: Spectators should park in Avon and take buses to the Beaver Creek base. If they are not skiing, they can take shuttles for a short trip to the finish area.
TV: NBC, NBCSN and Universal Sports will combine for 25 hours of viewing. For the first time in the U.S., all events will be shown live.
Tuesday’s schedule:
11 a.m. — Women’s super-G
1:30 p.m. — Men’s downhill training
More info:
