CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Lindsey Vonn said she was “fine” and had only a few bruises after falling near the end of downhill training for the World Cup on Thursday.
The protective airbag that most downhill skiers wear inflated under Vonn’s racing suit to help break her fall. Vonn got up and skied to the finish area on the Olympia delle Tofane course, but then entered a tent for treatment. She did not break any bones, her team said.
“I’m fine,” Vonn told The Associated Press in an interview later in the day at the U.S. team hotel. “I just caught a lot of air on the penultimate jump and I just landed and my ski caught a little bit.
“My butt hurts but otherwise I’m fine,” she added, indicating that she still plans to run this weekend.
Vonn, 40, recently returned to ski racing after nearly six years of retirement, with a titanium knee replacement.
So how did his right knee – the one with the titanium – feel after the fall?
“No problem. Titanium doesn’t break,” Vonn said. “Overall, my titanium knee is holding up much better than anyone would have expected.”
Last Sunday, Vonn finished fourth in super-G in St. Anton, Austria.
Vonn holds the record of 12 victories in Cortina, scene of next year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics.
“Everything is getting faster and better, and I’m dialing everything in one day at a time, so I hope I can get on the podium this weekend,” Vonn said.
Another downhill training session is planned for Friday before the downhill and super-G races on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Vonn hurried to figure out her new gear when she returned, and she broke one of her boots when she fell.
“So I don’t know if I should start with a new shoe tomorrow. I have to understand that,” she said.
Italians Federica Brignone, Sofia Goggia and Nadia Delago finished 1-2-3 in the training session.
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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
