Vonn has painful run, remains on Sunday list
Lindsey Vonn finished a World Cup super-g in extreme pain and was treated by race doctors for a back injury on Saturday.
The American star crossed the finish line in obvious distress, almost one second behind the then-leader, and slumped to the snow.
Vonn’s tentative run after jarring her back early on placed her 24th, trailing 1.56 seconds behind the surprise winner, Jasmine Flury of Switzerland. The race was shortened due to strong winds higher on the mountain.
Vonn stayed in the finish house to be treated, then limped slowly into a waiting car to be driven from the St. Moritz course.
Minutes earlier, her father, Alan Kildow, told The Associated Press that his daughter was “OK.”
Vonn’s name remained on the Sunday start list with bib No. 14 for another super-g scheduled in the morning.
Saturday’s race was interrupted several times by gusts lifting flurries of snow, and Vonn was left standing at the gate as the No. 4 starter during the first delay of about three minutes. She stayed warm with a thick jacket draped on her shoulders.
Vonn did not speak with media or fans before getting into the car, and wore the hood of a United States team jacket up to shield her face from television cameras tracking her. An update on her injury was expected later Saturday on her social media accounts.
Before leaving, Vonn stopped to congratulate Flury in the leader’s box.
Overall standings leader Mikaela Shiffrin placed 20th, 1.37 back. The American defending champion had her lead cut to 145 points by Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany, who placed sixth.
On the hill where she was injured at the world championships in February, Swiss star Lara Gut crashed into course-side netting after seeming to lose balance in the cross wind. She appeared unhurt.
Hirscher leads after 1 run. VAL D’ISERE, FRANCE» Marcel Hirscher posted the fastest time in the opening run of a men’s World Cup giant slalom, putting himself for a fifth straight win in the discipline.
The overall champion from Austria timed 56.74 seconds to lead Stefan Luitz of Germany by 0.10 and Alexis Pinturault of France by 0.12.