Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Vonn named Female Athlete of the Decade

By NBC’s Universal Sports


U.S. Ski Team photo Sarah Schleper finishes up her fifth-place slalom run in the Dec. 29 World Cup women’s slalom at Lienz, Austria.

From the U.S. Ski Team

Two-time world champion Lindsey Vonn of Vail, Co. has been named the Female Athlete of the Decade by NBC's Universal Sports joining Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man, for the 10-year honor.

The full story is available at www.UniversalSports.com, but Vonn and Bolt also gained similar accolades from long-time Olympic journalist Phil Hersh, whose column appears in both the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune.

"It's incredible to think about where I was as a person and an athlete in 2000 and then compare that to where I am now," said Vonn, who has set and reset records in alpine skiing the past two winters.

She added, "Skiing is my life and I wouldn't trade that for anything. I've traveled the world, raced in two Olympics and am getting ready for a third. It's what I've dreamed of since I was a little kid."

The definition of determination, Vonn made a name for herself following a horrific downhill training crash at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. She was airlifted to the hospital in Torino and told she should sit out the race, but for Vonn that wasn't an option. She finished eighth and was given the Olympic Spirit Award for her bravery by her Olympic peers.

Three years later at the 2009 Audi FIS Alpine World Championships, Vonn won the super G and downhill gold medals in Val d'Isere, France.

Following the downhill win, she unknowingly grasped a bottle of champagne with a broken top and severed a tendon in her thumb. She had surgery the next day then returned to the World Championships to compete in the final race. She went on to podium in the next four consecutive races, then defended her World Cup overall and downhill titles, plus added a super G title and set an American World Cup victory record for women.

"It's really hard to quantify the last two seasons," said Vonn. "Definitely winning the downhill World Championship was the biggest single day of my career, but I'm hoping to change that in Vancouver. I've never won an Olympic medal—one of any color will be just fine for me and I'm going to work harder than ever to put myself in a position to make that happen."

And she isn't letting setbacks stand in her way.

Case-in-point: The now famous violent crash she sustained Dec. 28 in a World Cup giant slalom at Lienz, Austria resulting in bruising to her left arm. Again, missing the slalom the following day was not an option.

"When I immediately had crashed, I thought for sure it was broken. It felt terrible and I immediately was thinking 'OK, how can I ski with a broken arm.' But after we got the MRI and more information later on it was a much more positive outlook and thankfully I don't have to have a cast. We'll just make due with another brace just like we did last year and go through some more duct tape. I think I need a duct tape sponsorship," she joked.

Vonn celebrated New Year's Eve with her husband at the U.S. Ski Team's European Training Base in Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria.

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