Heart earns Vonn final medal of glittering career
STOCKHOLM: Lindsey Vonn’s body may have told her it is time to quit skiing, but the American says it was her heart that won her a final medal of her career as she took bronze in the women’s downhill at the world championships in Are.
The 34yearold, the most successful female skier of all time with 82 world cup victories, announced last week she would quit the sport after yesterday’s race, and she rolled back the clock to give the crowd something to remember her by.
‘‘It was such an emotional day for me — it was really hard to control my nerves,’’ Vonn said following the race, which was won by Slovenian Ilka Stuhec. Corinne Suter, of Switzerland, claimed silver.
‘‘I was definitely the most nervous I’ve been in my entire life, and all I wanted to do was finish strong and have the ending that I’ve been dreaming of for my career,’’ she added.
Vonn was greeted by Swedish skiing great Ingemar Stenmark, who presented her with a bouquet of flowers after her final run and whose record of 86 world cup victories she spent her career chasing.
‘‘He’s a man of few words, but he said . . . I skied great, and those are special words coming from him,’’ Vonn said.
Vonn bristled at a reporter’s suggestion last week that she had no chance of winning in her final race, and her blistering performance put her in the lead before Stuhec took over, leaving her to settle for bronze.
‘‘I skied my heart out. I’m barely making it through with my body the way it is, but I think I skied with all heart today, and that’s what willed me down to get a medal,’’ Vonn explained.
Her hopes of a successful swansong had been hampered by a knee injury which forced her to call an abrupt halt to what should have been her farewell tour of the ski circuit. — Reuters