By Nancy Gillen |
Lindsey Vonn of the United States will compete in her last event before retiring at the International Ski Federation (FIS) Alpine World Ski Championships in Åre and will look to bow out with a world title.
The 34-year-old announced that she would retire after the World Championships following a World Cup race in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she ran off course due to the pain in her knees.
“It’s been an emotional two weeks making the hardest decision of my life, but I have accepted that I cannot continue ski racing,” Vonn wrote in a post on Instagram.
“I will compete at the World Championships in downhill and super-G next week in Åre, Sweden and they will be the final races of my career.”
Vonn has suffered numerous injuries to her knees during her career in which she became downhill and super-G world champion in 2009 and downhill Olympic champion at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
She also won bronze in the downhill event at last year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Vonn now returns to the venue where she first emerged onto the major stage, having won two silvers at the 2007 World Championships in Åre.
Competing alongside Vonn in the women’s competition will be Olympic snowboard and super-G champion Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic, as well as Vonn’s compatriot and World Cup super-G leader Mikaela Shiffrin.
The competition will begin tomorrow with the women’s super-G, followed by the men’s on Wednesday (February 6).
The women’s Alpine combined downhill and slalom will then take place on Friday (February 8), with the men and women’s downhill races concluding the first race week on Saturday and Sunday (February 9 and 10).
The second race week will then begin with the men’s Alpine combined event on February 11, followed by the Alpine team event on February 12.
February 14 will see the women’s giant slalom, with the men’s on February 15.
The World Championships will culminate with the women’s slalom on February 16 and the men’s slalom on February 17.
Competitors were participating in downhill training today, with Vonn finishing joint 11th despite having to ease off at the end.
Åre will host an Opening Ceremony this evening, welcoming the 76 participating nations.
The Swedish ski resort will be used as a venue at the Stockholm 2026 Winter Olympics if their bid is successful.
Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz.