Abby Brammell

By Neil Wilson

That's just for starters: Lindsey Vonn celebrates her first goal medal


Lindsey Vonn, Alpine skiing’s blonde pin-up, became the first American to win the women’s downhill at the winter Olympics.

Vonn, cover girl on a US magazine swimsuit issue, overcame the pain of her bruised right shin which prevented her from wearing ski boots only a week ago — and the pressure of immense hype — to win by the widest margin in 16 years.

For a while the threat came from team-mate Julia Mancuso who opened a 0.90sec margin on the nine skiing before her.

But Vonn, starting 16th, beat her time by 0.56sec to leave Mancuso with silver, a national one-two not achieved in downhill since 1984. Austria’s Elisabeth Goergl took the bronze.

It was the first of Vonn’s five alpine events here. She started favourite in three and a contender in two more, but it is the downhill where she has been supreme all winter, winning five of six World Cup races she skied. But the week she arrived in Whistler her right shin was so painful she could not put on her ski boot and was relieved when early training runs and competitions were cancelled.

Five of the seeded 30 crashed — one of the contenders, Swede Anja Paerson spectacularly — but all walked away only winded.

Britain’s Chemmy Alcott, who also skis all five alpine events, finished 13th.

Meanwhile, world junior champion Eve Muirhead skipped Britain’s women curlers to a 5-4 extra end win over world champions China in their opening match, after the Chinese clawed back a two-shot deficit in the final end of normal play.


source: dailymail