Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn will have to take a temporary break from the slopes. On Thursday, the three-time Olympian “severely” broke her arm when she crashed while training at Colorado’s Copper Mountain. In a Facebook update posted on Friday, Vonn said she underwent surgery in Vail Thursday evening.
Vonn, 32, appeared to be in good spirits on Friday, noting that while she’s “beyond frustrated by this latest setback,” she’s relieved her knees remained uninjured. Vonn withdrew from World Cup competition while at the top of the standings last season after suffering three hairline fractures in her upper shinbone.
On Friday, Vonn, a four-time World Cup champion, vowed to “return to the slopes as soon as possible,” but did not give a timetable.
Vonn already missed this season’s World Cup opener in Solden, Austria, last month.
Vonn said she was “disappointed” she wasn’t competing in the giant slalom races at Soelden, but ultimately decided to concentrate her training in two other disciplines — downhill and Super-G. Vonn won a gold medal at the 2010 Olympics in the downhill event.
The first women’s downhill event is scheduled for Nov. 29 at Lake Louise in Canada. The first women’s Super-G event is scheduled for Dec. 4 at that same location.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Marissa Payne
