Lindsey Vonn crashed Saturday during the World Cup super-G at Aliga in Andorra while racing amid heavy snowfall, sustaining a hairline fracture in her left knee. She raced in the combined event on that very knee on Sunday and set the fastest time for her run, The Guardian reported.
Because it was a combined event, the overall score was judged by both Saturday's and Sunday's races. As a result, Vonn placed 13th. In the end, it marked a victory, as the American extended her lead in the overall rankings with her comeback. Lara Gut of Switzerland trails her by 28 points.
"Yesterday, I thought I wouldn't be able to ski today," said Vonn, according to the Associated Press. "But there was a small chance and I believed in it. With this mindset, a lot is possible. I am a fighter. Many think it's just drama, but that's nonsense. I have pain but I can fight. I always give everything."
Last weekend, however, there was drama. Angered over a ski binding that released during her run, Vonn posted a video of her destroying it with a hammer. She soon took down the post and apologized profusely to her sponsor, Head, who also happened to make that binding.
When the weather finally cleared after three hours of delay on Saturday, the course had variable snow. Vonn slid off track in one of the last few turns of the race. She rode the rest of the way down in a ski patrol sled.
"Got caught in the soft snow today and crashed pretty hard," Vonn wrote on Facebook. "X-rays showed I have a hairline fracture in my left knee and will get an MRI Monday. I will wait and see how I feel tomorrow to decide if I can race."
Got caught in the soft snow today and crashed pretty hard. X-rays showed I have a hairline fracture in my left knee and...
Posted by Lindsey Vonn on Saturday, February 27, 2016
And race she did. "Drained my knee a few times and it's feeling a little better," Vonn wrote in another post accompanying a video of medical staff sucking fluid out of her knee with a large syringe. "Going to go up on the hill and see how it feels. Wish me luck!"
Drained my knee a few times and it's feeling a little better. Going to go up on the hill and see how it feels. Wish me luck!!
Posted by Lindsey Vonn on Saturday, February 27, 2016
Vonn has endured her fair share of injuries. In this season alone, she missed the first races due to a broken ankle bone and crashed several times.
