She is beautiful. She is charming. She is intelligent... She is admired by millions, mostly ski-fans..
She is Lindsey Vonn. Blond, brown eyed, 1.78 m. tall and statuesque.
She is indeed the skiing queen of this time.
Recently she suffered from an intestinal infection, which took some strength out of this beautiful body. Also recently she broke up with her man, a circumstance which caused her some depression.
So Lindsey took a month off from this winter sport, which had become her profession.
She was treated for all that ailed her and, upon her return, she just continued her streak. Placing well in the first race, winning the second and, I believe, the third and generally seeming to be 'back on track'
Today, the World Alpine Skiing Championships started in Schladming, Austria, with the first competition being the 'Ladies Super Giant Slalom'.
The weather was not ideal. At first it rained a little, then the fog came in, making racing at speeds of up to 90km per hour, through a series of gates, a near impossibility. So the race, originally scheduled for 11AM was postponed awaiting better conditions. It finally was allowed to start at about 2.30PM.
Lindsey had been interviewed by every body who could hold a microphone and ask mostly stupid questions.
She answered all, even the most inane questions with patience and courtesy in fairly good German:
"Yes, I am fully recovered... Yes, I feel strong and look forward to the race with confidence... No, while I hope to win, I am not predicting victory. There are many other very good skiers."
But in her demeanor, the way she held her head, the way she smiled you could tell she was certain that she would do well.
Tina Maze of Slovenia was in first place and then, with start number 19 came Lindsey Vonn.
She threw herself down the steep slope, skied, 'hell bent for leather', cut the gates so tightly that I'm sure her shoulders must have hurt with each impact. In the first and second intermediate time she was leading Tina by a few 100th of a second.
And then it happened: Landing after a natural jump in the course, her right knee seemed to give out. She crashed at full speed and head first into the next gate... her skies came flying through the air.. a cloud of snow engulfed the whole scene for a second... then she lay there and did not move. No 'I'm Okay wave' which the racers always give at such a crash to indicate that they are not hurt. Lindsey just lay there motionless.
First aid personnel, stationed all along the course rushed in to help her. Carefully they packed her into a semi-round sled. A Helicopter's urgent humming was heard... then it appeared, this yellow bird of rescue.. hovering over the small group of people below. It unravelled a long tow line. Lindsey in her basket together with two first aid staff, tangling seemingly precariously a good 10 to 15 meters below, were transported to the nearest hospital. A second camera-equipped helicopter showed the entire voyage. A team of white clad persons stood on the roof grouped in a semicircle around the landing target....
Lindsey's dream, and along with hers many of our dreams, came to a shocked end.
Lindsey Vonn may, this year, have stood on skies for the last time. Instead of having become the adored winner of the "Ladies' Super Giant Slalom", and maybe day after tomorrow the champion of the "Ladies' Downhill', she is now in hospital recovering from serious injury.
Bertstravels says: Just don't count your chickens until they're hatched, or more appropriately: "Don't count your Gold Medals until after the race.
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