20 March 2010 / REUTERS, NEW YORK
American Lindsey Vonn will take some time off to recover from a grueling alpine skiing season before the Olympic gold medalist launches her campaign for more medals in Sochi.
Vonn bruised a knee, battered a shin and broke a finger in the last days of a season that brought her a first Olympic gold in the downhill in Vancouver and a third successive World Cup overall title. “My body is really beat up after the season and I need to recharge my batteries,” the American told Reuters in an interview on Thursday, sliding off a pink cast to show the swelling in her broken right pinky finger. Vonn was proud of setting the US mark for most World Cup victories with 33 by winning last week’s final giant slalom, but said her Olympic downhill crown was the biggest thrill. “The Olympic gold medal was the highlight of my career to date,” the 25-year-old said. “It’s a big relief to have had that success. To be able to say I’m an Olympic champion is a dream come true. It takes a lot of the pressure off me going into the future that I’ve accomplished a lifelong dream and it gives me a lot of confidence going into the next Olympics in Sochi.” Vonn claimed the World Cup super-G, super-combined and downhill titles this season, and became just the third woman to win three successive overall crowns joining Austrians Petra Kronberger (1990-92) and Annemarie Moser-Proell, who won five in a row from 1971-75 and added a sixth in 1979.
