Double world champion Lindsey Vonn is hell-bent on charging down ski slopes, so why should she let a little blood ruin her race day?
The 25-year-old American had to endure the pain of a gash on her tongue, which she cut on a bump at the top of the course, to beat Canadian Emily Brydon and win the first Alpine World Cup women’s downhill of the season on Friday.
“On the top part, I lost an edge and slipped on some ice, jacked my body and my chin hit my knee, and I bit my tongue,” Vonn said. “When I got to the bottom, I could feel blood streaming down my face.”
Vonn said she wears a protective mouthguard, which probably saved her a massive dental bill.
“I was just confused,” she said. “At the bottom, I didn’t know what had happened and I was hoping I hadn’t lost any teeth. I am just glad it wasn’t anything major, just a cut. It is still bleeding a little bit.”
Had it been a hockey game, she would have been sent off the ice for treatment, but there’s no time for that in ski racing, especially when you are barreling down an icy mountain slope at speeds of 125kph.
Vonn said it was the first time she had smacked herself in the face like that during a race.
“I bit through my tongue once on the swing set, but never in ski racing. Hopefully, it will not happen again,” Vonn said.
It marked her 23rd career World Cup victory and the sixth downhill win for Vonn at Lake Louise since 2004.
Vonn is no stranger to the site of blood on race day.
In February of last year, she ended up having to have surgery in Innsbruck, Austria, after cutting her right thumb while opening a bottle of champagne in celebration of her downhill win at Val d’Isere.
Unlike the close race for the overall men’s title last year, Vonn dominated the women’s World Cup circuit, winning the overall crown for the second year in a row, but it is at Lake Louise where she really shines. Vonn has won more downhills at Lake Louise than any other female skier and has reached the podium here nine times in the past six years.
She is also the most decorated US female downhiller of all-time, with 13 career victories. Picabo Street is second with nine.
■MEN’S SUPER COMBINED
REUTERS, BEAVER CREEK, COLORADO
Switzerland’s Carlo Janka won the men’s super combined on Friday, pipping compatriot Didier Defago to first place.
The 23-year-old Janka, who skied with great fluidity in bitter conditions, is generating plenty of pre-Olympic excitement on the circuit with his victory, his third podium finish, in three different disciplines, in four races this season.
He finished third in downhill at Lake Louise and the giant slalom at Soelden, results which are impressive given he spent most of the off-season laid low by a mystery virus.
“The podium at Soelden was important after a long summer where I had problems with my physical training, to get a podium there was important for me,” Janka said.
Combined specialist Janka, third in the downhill leg, trailed halfway leader Defago by 0.32 seconds going into the technical test, but produced a storming slalom run of 47.75 seconds.
After completing his run, Janka then had to watch Defago and Didier Cuche come down as the final two racers in contention.
“I know that Didier Cuche is not the greatest slalom racer, but he produced a pretty good run. Didier Defago put in a good performance though, and I was a bit scared,” Janka said.
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