Overcoming a serious crash in training, the U.S. Ski Team's Lindsey Kildow tied for eighth in Wednesday's Olympic downhill.
Kildow, of Vail, Colo., caught an edge and was spun 180 degrees before landing hard on her back in Monday's downhill training run. She was taken down the hill on a sled and loaded onto a waiting helicopter. After spending the night at CTO (Centro Traumatologico Ospedauero, Center for Trauma Treatment) Hospital in Torino, it was announced Tuesday that she would be on the start list for the downhill.
Ranked second in World Cup downhill, Kildow started 31st Wednesday.
"I thought I had it in me," said Kildow. "I was pretty nervous at the start. I was okay in the warm-up, but I have a lot of pain in my back. My left butt cheek doesn't seem to work."
Kildow left the hospital Tuesday afternoon after x-rays were normal. She did not ski in Tuesday's final training session.
"I just wanted to know I could have done it," said Kildow. "I guess I thought that the result would have been a lot better, but I'm just happy to have raced. I think I did pretty well in the middle part of the course, but when I got to the part where I crashed, I was a little nervous."
Julia Mancuso, of Olympic Valley, Calif., was the top American finisher in Wednesday's downhill, coming in seventh.
Austrian Michaela Dorfmeister won the race. Stacey Cook, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., was 19th and Kirsten Clark, of Raymond, Maine, was 21st.
Dorfmeister won the gold in 1:56.49 on the San Sicario Fraiteve course. Taking silver was Martina Schild of Switzerland (1:56.86) and Sweden's Anja Paerson won bronze (1:57.13).
Mancuso's time of 1:57.71 was good for seventh. Kildow posted a 1:57.78 to tie her with Austrian Alexandra Meissnitzer. Cook, competing in her first Olympics, was 19th in 1:58.70 and Clark was 21st in 1:59.07.
Mancuso finished third in Tuesday's third and final training run. She was fast on the top section today, but shed some speed on the middle and lower portions of the hills.
"It was kind of flat today for me, but it was a lot of fun, especially at the top of the course where there are a lot of jumps," said Mancuso. "My time was slower even though I felt kind of confident."
As of Tuesday morning, it was unclear whether or not Kildow would race.
In Monday's training run, Kildow, of Vail, Colo., caught an edge coming into a jump and was spun 180 degrees in the air.
The next event for the women is the Combined, which will take place Fri., Feb. 17.
XX OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
San Sicario, ITA - Feb. 15, 2006
Women's Downhill
1. Michaela Dorfmeister, Austria, 1:56.49
2. Martina Schild, Switzerland, 1:56.86
3. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 1:57.13
4. Renate Goetschl, Austria, 1:57.20
5. Nadia Styger, Switzerland, 1:57.62
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7. Julia Mancuso, Olympic Valley, Calif., 1:57.71
T8. Lindsey Kildow, Vail, Colo., ,1:57.78
19. Stacey Cook, Mammoth Lakes, Calif., 1:58.70
21. Kirsten Clark, Raymond, Maine, 1:59.07
