Worlds: Vonn will race in slalom

Val d’ Isere, France – Lindsey Vonn, double gold medalist here, will try for a third medal in the women’s slalom on Saturday despite a severely injured thumb.

Vonn severed the tendon in her right thumb accidently when she picked up a cut champagne bottle at a post medal celebration at Rossignol’s entertainment dome.

Vonn spent Friday morning testing out various wraps which would enable her to hold a ski pole without using her thumb. Apparently her handlers were able to come up with a satisfactory wrap, according to women’s head coach, Jim Tracy.

“Lindsey took three or four runs this morning and everything felt good,” said Tracy. “They made some slight adjustments to help her grip her pole a bit better, but she’s ready to go.”

Vonn, who is no stranger to competing hurt having had a terrible fall in the 2006 Torino Olympics and still competed, seems to be taking the injury in stride.

“The doctor said that the normal procedure is to not do anything for three months. Obviously I’m not going to stop skiing. That’s not an option for me,” Vonn said. “I’m a ski racer. I’m not going to just not do anything because I’ve cut my thumb. I’m going to do the best I can for the rest of the season.”Val d’ Isere, France – Lindsey Vonn, double gold medalist here, will try for a third medal in the women’s slalom on Saturday despite a severely injured thumb.

Vonn severed the tendon in her right thumb accidently when she picked up a cut champagne bottle at a post medal celebration at Rossignol’s entertainment dome.

Vonn spent Friday morning testing out various wraps which would enable her to hold a ski pole without using her thumb. Apparently her handlers were able to come up with a satisfactory wrap, according to women’s head coach, Jim Tracy.

“Lindsey took three or four runs this morning and everything felt good,” said Tracy. “They made some slight adjustments to help her grip her pole a bit better, but she’s ready to go.”

Vonn, who is no stranger to competing hurt having had a terrible fall in the 2006 Torino Olympics and still competed, seems to be taking the injury in stride.

“The doctor said that the normal procedure is to not do anything for three months. Obviously I’m not going to stop skiing. That’s not an option for me,” Vonn said. “I’m a ski racer. I’m not going to just not do anything because I’ve cut my thumb. I’m going to do the best I can for the rest of the season.”

In somewhat of a surprise, the team announced that Resi Stiegler, who is coming off a series of injuries, is going to start in the slalom as well. Stiegler, who has not raced since her horrifying crash in a giant slalom in Lienz, Austria, on Dec. 28 2007, was thrilled to get the nod.

“I’m so stoked to wear a bib that has a number on it instead of just a letter,” said Stiegler, who has forerun a number of races, including World Cup slalom in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, just prior to the World Championships. “Basically I just started from the beginning and went step-by-step to get back into racing shape – my entire focus was on slalom. Trevor [Wagner, Technical Head Coach] put a lot of trust in me and I’ve been able to train with the other slalom girls, who are all really fast, so it’s awesome to be back.”

“We knew Resi was going to be starting soon, we just didn’t know when,” Tracy said. “Her preparation has been really positive and it just happens that her first start in over a year will be at the World Championships. She’s keeping it realistic and knows not to set her expectations too high. She’s been smart about the entire return process and she’ll be smart about tomorrow’s race.”

Hailey Duke, who has been strong in slalom both in the World Cup and the Europa Cup, will start as well. The fourth starter for the U. S. is Sarah Schleper, a veteran who is making a comeback after becoming a mother last year.