Lindsey Vonn, perhaps the biggest American name in the Olympics, will race in Wednesday's women's downhill skiing competition despite a bruised right shin, according to The Associated Press.
"There's no question," her husband and coach Thomas Vonn told the AP on Tuesday. "She'll for sure be racing tomorrow."
Lindsey, the first American to win back-to-back overall World Cup titles, was the fastest skier in Monday's training session, but her leg was "throbbing" so much after the run that she planned to stay off the slopes Tuesday, the article said.
"It was definitely sore today, much more sore than it had been in a couple days," Thomas told the AP. "The full-length downhill run yesterday definitely took its toll on her shin."
As it turned out, she didn't have to miss anything because Tuesday's training was canceled due to an overnight storm.
On Monday, she finished her run in 1 minute, 30.75 seconds, putting her 0.39 seconds ahead of second-place finisher and fellow American Julia Mancuso.
It was the first day the skiers had been allowed on the slopes due to an onslaught of warm weather, rain and fog since arriving in Vancouver. That led to the bumpy conditions that caused Vonn's boot to rub against her bruise even more than it normally would.
"It was jarring," she said afterward. "It was a fight just to make it down the whole way."
But Monday provided another positive in addition to clocking the best time.
"She knows her leg will hold up at those speeds, and that she can be fast even if it's painful," Thomas said.
The downhill will be the first of five events Lindsey is scheduled to race, and it is considered her strongest. She has won the last two World Cup titles in the event.
"She certainly feels that she has a chance to win the downhill," Thomas told the AP. "She feels like, although it's going to be extremely painful in the run, that she can still fight through it and put down some of her best skiing."
Lindsey originally injured the shin in a practice session in Austria on Feb. 2 when the top of her boot slammed into it during a crash.
