Vonn scatters ashes of grandfather at venue

By The Associated Press

American Lindsey Vonn came to South Korea with the goal of taking home an Olympic medal and leaving something even more special behind. She did both. Vonn said Thursday she recently scattered some of the ashes of her grandfather, who served in the Korean War, on a rock near the mountain where the downhill races were run.

“I know that it would mean a lot to him to be back here, a part of him is in South Korea always,” said Vonn, who shared her story with The Associated Press and Chosun Ilbo, one of South Korea’s major newspapers.

Vonn said she sprayed parts of Don Kildow’s ashes “just a few days ago” on a rock that she was told was special when she visited South Korea a year ago to be named a Pyeongchang Olympic ambassador. She described the location as “right by the men’s downhill start.”

Vonn burst into tears when she was asked about her grandfather at a news conference in Pyeongchang earlier this month before the Olympics. He lived in Milton, Wis., and died in November.

Vonn won a bronze medal in the downhill, but skied out of slalom leg of the Alpine combined Thursday in what was likely her last Olympic race.

Doping decision supported

The World Curling Federation said it supports a decision to strip a Russian curler of his Olympic bronze medal after he admitted to a doping violation at the Games. The curling federation said in a statement that the violation involving Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky has “cast a shadow over our sport.” The curling federation said the fourth-place Norwegian team now will receive a bronze medal.