Lindsey Vonn claims bronze in her final Winter Olympic downhill
Last Updated: 21/02/18 3:29pm
Lindsey Vonn claimed her bronze "felt like gold" in the American's final Winter Olympic downhill of her career.
Vonn was 0.47 seconds behind gold medal winner Sofia Goggia of Italy, who recorded a time of 1min 39.22sec, and just 0.09 seconds slower than second-placed Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway.
Aged 33, Vonn becomes the oldest woman to win an Alpine medal at a Winter Games. Her total of three includes downhill gold and super-G bronze at Vancouver in 2010.
Plagued by an unfortunate sequence of injuries, which ruled her out of Sochi in 2014, Vonn has had to listen to her body and reluctantly accept that it is time to stop.
"Today, bronze, to me, feels like gold," she said. "It's taken its toll and that's why I can't keep ski racing, you know? I think my injuries made me stronger. I do. Because I wouldn't be the same person that I am today.
"When you're young, you ski and you win and you don't appreciate things. I've been in the fence so many times. I know so many doctors on a first-name basis that it's ridiculous."
Vonn's high standards have been the hallmark by which other racers have been judged, and Goggia was one of the first people to pay tribute to the American's record.
"She has 140 podiums. Me? I have 20. She has 81 victories. I have four. Five, with this," Goggia acknowledged, "But she's unbelievable.
"She is the greatest. And she had a wonderful career and she is still having, because it's not over."
Vonn will compete again on Thursday, taking on US team-mate Mikaela Shiffrin in the Alpine combined. Then comes the return to the World Cup circuit and Vonn's pursuit of Ingemar Stenmark's record of 86 race wins.
Vonn's coach Chris Knight admitted something was not quite right with the run.
"I just saw the middle part of the run, where I was standing," he said. "It was just a little tentative, a little uncharacteristic, not quite charging. Realistically speaking, it has to play on your mind. You've got one chance."
After the finishing line, Vonn looked skywards and blew kisses, a tribute to her grandfather who passed away last year.
"I wanted desperately to win for him today," she said. "I wish he was here. I wish he could have watched me. But I think he still is."
