Beaver Creek: Lanning plans on racing next weekend

BEAVER CREEK,  Colorado — T.J. Lanning said he thought about racing in Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom despite breaking a bone in his hand during Thursday’s downhill portion of the super combined and undergoing surgery that night.
BEAVER CREEK,  Colorado — T.J. Lanning said he thought about racing in Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom despite breaking a bone in his hand during Thursday’s downhill portion of the super combined and undergoing surgery that night.
    The 22-year-old rising star on the U.S. Ski Team didn’t race in the GS, and he’ll sit out today’s slalom as well to rest a body he says is still pretty battered.
    “I’m bummed because I really wanted to bust on the scene in the U.S.,” Lanning said Saturday. “But I’m still young, still healthy and it should be a good season.”
    Lanning’s crash was spectacular, and occurred a few gates from the finish in full view of the overflow crowd. The crash sent Lanning tumbling into the upper portion of the second row of netting. He escaped with the broken hand — which required a steel plate and eight screws to repair — and some scrapes on his nose.
    Watching the crash on video numerous times, Lanning said he feels extremely lucky to have come out in one piece.
    “I tried to tuck the whole last right-footed turn and there were a few bumps in there, and where I was running it was a little rough from the day before,” he said. “I kind of sloshed and  my right ski fanned out and I was in the back seat and trying to get forward, then my left ski caught the snow and hooked up and it just flung me off a loaded ski into the fence.
    “Basically went I went up airborne, I closed my eyes and hoped that I came out alive, pretty much. It was a good 15, 20 feet up in the air. It was scary.”
    Lannng said he is cleared to train and race and plans on competing in next weekend’s super combined event in Reiteralm, Austria.