SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM – It’s not simply downhill and super-G that Lindsey Vonn desires to compete in on the age of 41 at subsequent 12 months’s Milan-Cortina Olympics.
After experiencing the brand new group mixed on the world championships, Vonn additionally hopes to qualify for that occasion when it makes its Olympic debut in 2026 — even after her marketing campaign to pair with Mikaela Shiffrin this week did not pan out.
“It’s enjoyable to be part of a group,” Vonn mentioned. “I’ve by no means had that have in a world championships or Olympics earlier than. I’ve all the time cherished the mixed as a person (occasion). They don’t have that anymore. So that is my subsequent best choice. I get alongside nice with each single member of my group and I’d be proud to race with anybody.”
However on the worlds, Vonn was very public about her want to race with Shiffrin, who ended up profitable gold with Breezy Johnson. Vonn and AJ Damage positioned sixteenth on Tuesday.
The brand new occasion entails one racer competing in a downhill run and one other in a slalom run, with their occasions added collectively to find out the ultimate outcomes.
Shiffrin and Vonn are the winningest feminine racers in World Cup historical past with 99 victories for Shiffrin and 82 for Vonn. Vonn is the all-time chief in World Cup downhill victories with 43 and Shiffrin holds the mark in slalom with 62 — each information amongst women and men.
“Wouldn’t it have been a very cool factor to have 181 wins in a single group? I feel it could have been,” Vonn mentioned. “However if you happen to’re what’s greatest for the group, it’s not me proper now. That doesn’t imply that subsequent 12 months issues would possibly change.”
Vonn struggled in her downhill run of the mixed, ending twenty first and a distant 2.51 seconds behind the chief, American teammate Lauren Macuga. Johnson was fourth, organising her gold medal with Shiffrin.
That efficiency by Vonn adopted a hooked gate that took her out of the super-G and a Fifteenth-place end within the downhill.
“Technically, I’m snowboarding higher than I used to be earlier than, however from the gliding (standpoint) I’m not quick,” Vonn mentioned. “In order that’s one thing that I’ve by no means had an issue with. And I simply have to determine it out.”
Having not too long ago returned to ski racing with a brand new titanium knee after practically six years of retirement, Vonn is enjoying meet up with her new gear.
Vonn’s longtime ski technician, Heinz Haemmerle, retired, so gear provider Head assigned her Chris Krause, who previously labored for Didier Cuche and Bode Miller. However then Krause bought sick, so she was assigned yet one more technician, Rene Meusburger.
Is Vonn making an attempt to persuade Haemmerle to observe her out of retirement?
“I feel that will be unfair to Heinz. He had a nasty accident a number of months in the past along with his leg and he hasn’t skied but. He’s bought a large scar larger than mine,” Vonn mentioned. “He’s positively going to assist me. To what diploma? I don’t know. However I additionally need to be truthful to him and I don’t need to put him a place the place he’s risking his well being to assist me.
“I’ve bought a tremendous place now with Rene. He’s tremendous younger and he will get alongside properly with Heinz. I feel having the previous and the younger (techs) collectively could be a cool and a useful partnership. But it surely’s not all sorted out but.”
Whoever is tuning her skis shall be simply as busy after this season ends, when Vonn will embark on a marathon testing session to get her setup on top of things — possible on European glaciers earlier than shifting to South America or New Zealand.
“It’s going to be full throttle spring and summer season to essentially get issues going,” Vonn mentioned. “It’s simply going to be a matter of getting adequate snow circumstances to do this.”
After leaving the worlds, Vonn flew to Switzerland for a educating association on the Aiglon ski academy. Then she was heading residence to Miami.
She’ll return to racing in Kvitfjell, Norway, on the finish of the month.
Her long-term objective stays the 2026 Video games, having instructed The Related Press not too long ago that she plans to retire once more after competing in a fifth Olympics. Ladies’s snowboarding on the Olympics shall be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the place Vonn holds the document of 12 World Cup wins.
“I’m not actually affected person, however I actually must attempt to be sort to myself as a result of although I’ve excessive expectations and I used to be fourth and sixth in my second and third races again, I nonetheless have work to do and I’m nonetheless 40 and I nonetheless have a partial knee alternative,” Vonn mentioned. “It’s not like I don’t know what to do. … I simply want time to place all of the items collectively.”
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