St Moritz (Switzerland) (AFP) – Lindsey Vonn will headline the World Ski Championships that get under way in St Moritz on Monday, the American speed queen firing out a warning that, for once, she is in one piece.
Vonn is in the midst of a remarkable comeback from a broken right arm sustained in training late last year, the latest in a catalogue of injuries the media-friendly star has suffered and which has led her to dub herself the “bionic woman”.
She has had just five World Cup races back since that injury, but won at Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the 77th World Cup win of her career — leaving her just nine short of the all-time record — but also crashing out on a couple.
“Every year is different. Every year you have different obstacles to overcome. This year, with little training, it’s been tough to come in and really attack,” Vonn said.
“I’m in one piece, which is positive for me. It’s not often that I go into world champs in one piece, so that’s good,” she said, adding that she was aiming to compete in the downhill, super-G and combined events.
But she admitted that her participation in the latter will require a slalom, something she has not done since her latest injury.
“I really don’t know how that’s going to go. Hopefully my arm will be fine with it, but the plan is to try. When the World Championships come, it’s all or nothing, so hopefully I can get on the podium there. I’m looking forward to it.
“A medal in St Moritz would be the cherry on top of the cake — the crowning moment of my comeback and a great achievement,” Vonn added with the women’s downhill race on February 12.
The 32-year-old, who will face stiff competition from local hope Lara Gut, last season’s overall World Cup winner, heads up a strong US team that also includes Mikaela Shiffrin but is missing Ted Ligety, Bode Miller and Steve Nyman.
Shiffrin is currently atop the overall and slalom World Cup standings and will be seeking to notch up a third consecutive world slalom title despite admitting to a lack of decent slalom training early in the season.
“I’ve gotten a little bit more training than I’ve gone into this season with. I didn’t expect how busy the beginning of the season was going to be,” Shiffrin said
“I’m very, very excited to just get some time on my skis training before St Moritz.”
The high-end Swiss resort, a two-time host of the Winter Olympics, last held the world champs in 2003, and the February 6-19 competition which will feature almost 600 athletes from 76 countries will also be an opportunity for Austrian Marcel Hirscher to shine.
Hirscher is presently on line to win a sixth consecutive World Cup overall crystal globe, but is undecided about defending his combined title.
“In front of us are 14 hard days of racing action,” the Austrian said, adding that he would test the lay of the land in downhill training before deciding on whether to race the combined.
“It is important for me to estimate the downhill course in the first couple of training sessions so I can make a call on what my medal opportunities may be.
“If I’m five seconds off the pace in the downhill, that most likely rules out the combined because that’s too big a deficit to make up in the slalom.”
Austria are historically the world’s leading ski team and apart from Hirscher, there are two other defending champions in their line-up in Anna Veith (giant slalom, slalom) and Hannes Reichelt (super-G).
Ten individual gold medals are up for grabs with the world’s top men and women racing for downhill, slalom, alpine combined, super-G and giant slalom titles, plus the team competition.
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