Vonn, Svindal will come full circle for final races
World and Olympic champions return to memorable ski hill after announcing retirements
For Lindsey Vonn and Aksel Lund Svindal, the world championships beginning Tuesday in Are, Sweden, will mark the end of an era.
It will also bring them full circle — back to the site of their first major championship successes over a decade ago.
Vonn claimed the first medals of her career, two silvers, at the frigid 2007 worlds in Are, while Svindal claimed his first golds a dozen years ago by winning the downhill and giant slalom.
Both went on to become overall World Cup and Olympic champions and two of skiing’s most well-spoken ambassadors.
“It’s always been a good place for me,” said Vonn, who has also won seven World Cup races in Are. “It’s a good place to have my last world championships. I’m really excited to go back up there.”
The 34-year-old Vonn announced on Friday that due to her battered knees, she will retire after competing in the super-G and downhill in Are.
And while she will end up four wins short of the all-time World Cup record of 86 held by Ingemar Stenmark, Vonn plans a tribute to the Swedish standout.
“I have a cool suit that I kind of designed in honour of Stenmark,” she said.
The 36-year-old Svindal, also slowed by persistent knee injuries, recently announced he, too, will retire after worlds, and there are sure to be plenty of his Norwegian fans who will hop across the border to see him race for the last time.
“Did you book your tickets to the world championships in Are? If not, get on it!!” Svindal wrote on Instagram. “One of the absolutely greatest of all times Lindsey Vonn, she’s doing her last races here next week. And when we’re both done, I’m pretty sure there will be a hell of a party to celebrate.”
Other skiers to watch at the worlds:
SHIFFRIN AND HIRSCHER
Mikaela Shiffrin and Marcel Hirscher will both be heavy favourites in the giant slalom and slalom races — and other events, too. For the overall World Cup leaders, the biggest challenge may be staying fresh.
VLHOVA AND NOEL
Petra Vlhova of Slovakia and Clement Noel of France are quickly developing into the biggest challengers to Shiffrin and Hirscher, respectively, in the technical events. Vlhova is the only racer to beat Shiffrin in slalom this season.
ESTER LEDECKA
The Czech skier-snowboarder Ester Ledecka is still competing in both sports, but she will be restricted to only one world championship due to a schedule conflict. While Ledecka won a parallel giant slalom snowboard race in Italy in December, she is still yet to reach the podium in a World Cup ski race. She finished 11th in the downhill at last season’s World Cup finals in Are, even though she had a big mistake in her run.
PARIS AND GOGGIA
Italian downhillers Dominik Paris and Sofia Goggia both have gold potential. Paris achieved the rare feat of winning downhills in both Bormio, Italy, and Kitzbuehel, Austria — considered the two toughest downhills on the circuit — this season. Goggia, the Olympic downhill champion, finished second in her first two races last month after starting her season late due to an ankle injury.