'Don't count me out': Lindsey Vonn crashes out of final super-G of her career
Banged-up soon-to-retire skiing star says Sunday's downhill at worlds 'will be great'
One of the hallmarks of Lindsey Vonn's career has been the way she bounces back from major crashes time and time again.
Vonn straddled a gate mid-air during the super-G at the world championships Tuesday and ended up sliding down the hill face first.
"I've got a bit of a shiner. I feel like I've been hit by an 18-wheeler, but other than that I'm great," Vonn said with a laugh from Are, Sweden. "My knees are the same as they were before the race. I think my neck's going to be sore. I got the wind knocked out of me, my ribs are oddly sore. It'll be fine. Sunday will be great."
WATCH | Vonn describes crash, injuries & why she will be in Toronto soon:
Vonn quickly got up after the fall and skied down the hill under her own power after being tended to by medical personnel. Then she sat and happily answered reporters' questions during a 30-minute news conference.
'I'm going to try my hardest' on Sunday
The 34-year-old Vonn, the all-time leader in women's World Cup wins, announced last week that she will retire after racing the super-G and downhill at the worlds — meaning that Sunday's downhill is her final race.
"Don't count me out," Vonn said. "I've got one more chance. Maybe I'll pull off a miracle, maybe I won't. … I'm going to try my hardest. Just because I get knocked down, it doesn't mean I don't get back up."
Vonn's long history of crashes has included frightful falls at the 2006 Turin Olympics and 2013 worlds. Her legs are so battered that she will have knee surgery for the seventh time soon after she retires — to repair the left knee ligament she tore during training in November.
"I need complete reconstruction. That will be fun. Hopefully my last surgery," Vonn said.
If adversity makes you stronger I think I’m the Hulk at this point....
—@lindseyvonn'I know I'll have pain for the rest of my life'
"I'm screwed. I've known that for three years now," Vonn said. "It's only a matter of time. The analogy I was given was, I only have a certain amount of steps left. And I've run out of steps at this point. I know I'll have pain for the rest of my life but I wouldn't change it. … I got no cartilage, no meniscus, I got rods and plates and screws. There's a lot going on. My head is still good, that's all I need."
It didn't take Vonn long to process on why she crashed. When she barreled through a gate, the panel fitted between the two poles detached and got stuck on her boots. When she hit the ground she slid downhill face first, using her hands to keep her head from hitting the snow, then came to a stop in the netting.
WATCH | Raw video of Vonn crash:
"I had the right line coming in, that roll or jump had kind of a crown, it wasn't exactly smooth and I think one of my skis hooked up and sent me into the panel," she said. "The header into the fence wasn't the best.
"My immediate thought was `What the hell? Why am I in the fence again?' It was like, `Why am I here? I'm too old for this."'
WATCH | 'Don't count me out, I have one more chance:
Vonn was wearing a safety air bag device under her racing suit, which inflated as she tumbled over and softened the impact when she hit the safety nets.
Victorious Shiffrin avoids crash
On a highly technical course, many other skiers also failed to finish their runs. American teammate Laurenne Ross also crashed and of the 43 starters, 14 failed to finish.
"I just squeaked by," the American said. "That's the sport. It's such a fine line between the risk you have to take in order to win and then the risk where you take it's just a little bit too much."
Upon seeing Vonn's crash, Shiffrin looked away from the big video screen in the finish area. Sofia Goggia, who took silver, clasped her helmet with both hands, and the crowd gasped. One American fan appeared to be crying.
WATCH | Shiffrin claims gold:
"That's Lindsey. She [goes] 100 per cent or nothing," said Austrian racer Nicole Schmidhofer, who finished 11th. "That's why she has won so many races and why she's an Olympic champion."
Valerie Grenier of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was the top Canadian in 19th place.
Marie-Michele Gagnon of Lac Etchemin, Que., was 21st and Roni Remme of Collingwood, Ont., did not start.
WATCH | Full coverage of the women's super-G:
