By Julien Pretot
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Coach Aksel Lund Svindal said Lindsey Vonn could win a medal after a composed downhill training run on Friday brought her long-awaited Olympic return closer, praising the American’s control, symmetry and trademark mental resolve despite uncertainty around her knee.
The 41-year-old ruptured her anterior cruciate ligaments in a World Cup crash last week but vowed to take part in Sunday’s race.
“I think she was smart. She didn’t go all in,” Svindal, a double Olympic gold medallist, told reporters after watching Vonn’s first run on the Olimpia delle Tofane, where she has prevailed six times in the World Cup.
“The rest looked like just good skiing, but no big risk. To me it looked symmetrical. I didn’t see any differences right and left — and that’s kind of what we’re looking for today.”
Vonn has battled repeated injuries throughout her career, and last Friday’s could have ended her career. It only fuelled her resolve.
“I tried to calm her down because I didn’t want her to push too hard. It’s the first training run,” Svindal said. “Free skiing is one thing, but when you’re squeezed into a downhill it’s very different. I thought it went really well.”
While decisions on further training remained dependent on medical checks and potential swelling in the knee, Svindal suggested the performance showed Vonn could still take a medal.
“I think she can,“ he said. “There were reserves today. When she skis well, she can win. It’s going to be hard, but I think she could possibly bring that on Sunday.”
HIGH STAKES
Svindal admitted the emotional stakes were already high.
“Today felt like race day to me because it’s very important,” he said, adding that confidence built in training would shape how aggressively Vonn attacks the course.
“Usually she’s gone hard at times when people told her she probably shouldn’t start. I have no doubt she will go out of the start and attack — but it’s better to do that from a base where you felt safe.”
Svindal, who experienced similar issues in his career, recognised the race would bring different pressures.
“We both retired in 2019, and then the doctors told us we had very similar right knees, the knees where she got the replacement now,” the Norwegian explained.
“And that season I couldn’t do training eventually. Like I just did runs in them because training didn’t work. It was only races where I could take the pain out of my mind. So I have that aspect, like what it’s like to do a race where you actually just don’t care about the knee, versus training where you can’t get that out of your head.
“I have no doubt that she will be ready. Mentally, she’ll be ready up on Sunday because she’s shown that in the past.”
Svindal said he felt he was on a special journey.
“She was really calm. Maybe I was more nervous, to be honest, because everyone – I mean, this is important for everyone, everyone, right? If this works, it’s awesome,” he said.
“If something happened, it would be bad. But she’s been very committed since the first day, and she’s convinced this will work. She’s been very right.”
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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