Injury puts Lindsey Vonn's Olympic medal hopes in jeopardy
VANCOUVER, Canada--Lindsey Vonn, the world's top female Alpine skier and a medal contender in five events at the soon-to-begin Vancouver Games, said Wednesday, "I honestly have no idea" whether a right shin bruise suffered in a training run last week will allow her to compete at the Olympics.
Vonn's status for Sunday's first women's event, the super combined, and the remainder of her events could be determined at a Thursday morning downhill training run in Whistler.
Asked whether she might not be able to race, Vonn said, "Yeah, that's a possibility."
Vonn said she suffered the "excruciatingly painful" injury last Tuesday in Austria during slalom training shortly after she won her ninth World Cup race this season, the super-G, in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
She said she kept the injury a secret until Wednesday.
"I didn't want to alarm anyone," Vonn said. She said she suffered muscle damage around the shin but refused an X-ray to determined if there was a hairline fracture.
She was unable to walk for two days after the injury, she said, and has not been able to ski. She said the injury is in the worst possible spot, at the pressure point where the top of her ski boot meets the leg.
Vonn said she has been trying all kinds of therapy, including a peculiar one.
"I wrap my leg in cheese and it takes the swelling down," Vonn said.
Vonn must start at least one of the three training runs to be eligible for Sunday's super combined.
"All I can hope for is that I'm able to push through it," she said of the injury.
Vonn has won two World Cup overall titles and an American-best 31 races on the circuit but has been plagued by injuries in Olympic years.
A training run crash before the downhill at the 2006 Turin Games likely cost her a medal chance. An injury to her left arm in late December has hampered her hopes of winning Olympic medals in giant slalom and slalom.
Vonn is the pre-Olympic favorite in the downhill and super-G.
-- Chris Dufresne
Photo: Lindsey Vonn. Credit: John David Mercer / US Presswire
Seriously? A bruised shin. Yes it sucks that your boot is on it, but damn girl this is the Olympics. man up....
Posted by: anon | February 10, 2010 at 01:36 PM
Anyone that has bruised their shin knows that the last thing you want is something (especially a stiff ski boot ) against it. I hope Lindsey heals as fast as she skis.
Posted by: alwaysatrojan84 | February 10, 2010 at 02:33 PM
Lots of hype, too much hype, and nothing is a sure thing is skiing. I think someone is playing PR here, trying to lower expectations.
No xrays, no pics, things just don't add up.
As a PR professional this looks like a classic example of lowering expectations b/c the hype got too big.
Posted by: RizzoSports | February 10, 2010 at 02:43 PM
If Lindsey has "no idea if she can compete" with her injury, why is she now telling the world about the injury? If she "didn't want to alarm anyone" a week ago, what has changed to allow her to alarm them now? Assuming she is a motivated competitor, why reveal your potential weakness to other athletes which will spur them to try even harder to unseat the odds on favorite? I hope NBC isn't encouraging this admission by Lindsey to bump ratings..... TUNE IN NOW TO SEE IF THIS POOR, INJURED GIRL CAN OVERCOME ADVERSITY AND BEAT THE WORLD!!!!
Posted by: anon | February 10, 2010 at 03:28 PM
Isn't a public relations professional someone who gets paid to LIE?
Posted by: James Sullivan | February 10, 2010 at 03:43 PM
I'm from Minnesota, and even I think this is a pretty pitiful attempt to garner sympathy from our native daughter in case she doesn't win, place or show at the Olympics.
Clue to Lindsey: You're not the only banged up athlete who'll be competing at the Olympics. So quit talking about your injuries and just ski the best you can. It's the Olympics for heaven's sake! And maybe your last one.
So mouth shut, and just move on down the hill to the best of your ability and let the chips fall where they may.
Posted by: markiejoe | February 10, 2010 at 04:20 PM
Cut the boot down a couple of inches.
Posted by: Mark | February 10, 2010 at 04:45 PM
You people are showing your ignorance. This is a World Champion. Best Female American Skier Ever. Do you think she would ever let her competition know she was hurt if it wasn't extremely serious? Would Magic or Jordan? And how many of you have skied at a world class level? I have. A bruise at boot top level is about the worst thing a skier can have. And for you uniformed, she won a world cup race a few weeks ago with a BROKEN THUMB. Yeah, she's soft. Like your heads.
Posted by: plr | February 10, 2010 at 09:25 PM
Why not zap it with a shot of novacain or whatever dentists use to numb the mouth before drilling? Or would that be considered doping? I agree with other commenters, this is the big stage, your last chance at the golden ring, just get it done.
Posted by: MikeP | February 10, 2010 at 09:51 PM
Lindsey should have someone go to a local Latin market and get some of those huge Aloe leaves- about 24 by 5 in. Cut into 4 in pieces. Split each piece in half to expose the most "plant flesh", leaving you with two almost flat halves, about 4X5 inches. Heat, flesh dowm. in a skillet(or maybe microwave if no skillet available). Place fleshy side of leave on injury as hot as you can take without burning the skin. Wrap in a towel and rest for an hour. Repeat as often as possble. More healing than arnica and other homeopathic remedies. I am not a doc, my Bolivian housekeeper treated me this way and it worked.
Posted by: Ashley Rush | February 12, 2010 at 11:28 AM
What a crybaby. My shin my pinky, sometimes I think she falls just for the attention. As far as I am concerned she get way to much credit and attention. For someone who is supposed to be the best in the world sure does have trouble staying on her feet.
Posted by: Joseph Callaway | February 27, 2010 at 04:29 AM
Thnak
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Posted by: whister | December 14, 2010 at 11:58 PM