Soelden, Austria – Just a day before the World Cup season opening women’s giant slalom in Austria, American ski racer Lindsey Vonn has confirmed that she won’t be in the starting gate.
Vonn, of Vail, Colo., is still recovering from an ankle fracture while training in New Zealand in August. She traveled to Soelden to keep her options open, but Vonn announced this morning via Facebook that she won’t be racing this weekend.
“Being back on snow the last two days has been incredible. It never ceases to amaze me how much I love my sport!” Vonn wrote. “In the few runs I’ve had since returning to snow I have felt strong, confident and been skiing without pain! However, the icy conditions on the race hill coupled with the fact that its only been 10 weeks since I fractured my ankle makes me slightly hesitant, and for that reason I have decided not to race tomorrow.
“I think that if the snow conditions were different my decision would have been different as well,” Vonn acknowledged, “but at this stage in my career I suppose it’s better to err on the side of caution. Now my sights are set on the next race in Aspen and then Lake Louise.”
That last sentence hints at Vonn’s plans for the beginning of the World Cup season. Vonn is a speed specialist, and the Lake Louise events in early December are the first speed races of the season. They immediately follow the Aspen Winternational, which although technical races are likely too hard to ignore in front of a home crowd. This probably also means that she’ll skip the women’s slalom in Levi, Finland, on November 14th.