December 18, 2009

You'll be hearing a lot more about Vonn (nee Kildow) in the months to come, given that this is an Olympic year and that Vonn is one of the most accomplished US skiers ever: four World Championship medals, 25 career individual World Cup race victories, and of course the pinnacle of ski racing titles, the overall World Cup.

The one prize that Vonn has not yet claimed is an Olympic medal, but she's twice come close enough to sniff the champagne. In 2002, at the ripe old age of 17, she placed 32nd in slalom and an eye-opening 6th in combined at Salt Lake. In 2006, her Olympics seemed fated to come to an early end when she had a sickener of a crash in training for the downhill that left her badly battered. Grim determination got her to the start gate for four of the five Olympic events, and praiseworthy finishes of 7th in super G and 8th in downhill, but the crash had clearly taken a toll.

In the seasons since, Vonn has smoothly taken over dominance of women's ski racing. The 2010 season promises to be one of the best in many years, as Vonn's competition has improved as well, most notably Reisch. Although it's going to be hard to watch any ski racing until the Olympics if you live in the USA, keep an eye on Vonn. She's going to come in for a lot of hype and attention, but unlike many other talented US skiers, she seems not just brilliant but also unflappable. My money is on her to collect another overall World Cup...and probably an Olympic medal or two on the way.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 02:56 PM on December 18, 2009