Skiing

During the final super-G run of her illustrious career, legendary skier Lindsey Vonn suffered a scary crash Tuesday.

The official Tokyo Olympics Twitter account provided video of the crash, which occurred at the FIS World Championships in Are, Sweden:

. @lindseyvonn was unable to finish the final Super-G race of her career this morning at World Championships. #are2019 pic.twitter.com/HyVFmNy0zZ

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 5, 2019

Despite the crash, Vonn managed to slowly make it down the rest of the hill to complete her run:

The winningest woman in alpine history @lindseyvonn was not going to make her final Super-G trip down in a sled. She will do it under her own power. 👏 #are2019 pic.twitter.com/5YDRDQXBnA

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 5, 2019

The 34-year-old Vonn announced last week that she would retire following the world championships.

Vonn explained her decision to retire in a lengthy Instagram post, citing the many injuries she has suffered during her career: "My body is broken beyond repair and it isn't letting me have the final season I dreamed of. My body is screaming at me to STOP and it's time for me to listen."

Following Tuesday's crash, Vonn tweeted about the ordeal:

If adversity makes you stronger I think I’m the Hulk at this point....

— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) February 5, 2019

Austrian skier Nicole Schmidhofer described the scene to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com): "Everyone was screaming as she crashed jumping through the gates. That's Lindsey. She [goes] 100 percent or nothing. That's why she has won so many races and why she's an Olympic champion."

Fellow American star Mikaela Shiffrin won Wednesday's race.

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), Vonn has suffered a multitude of injuries over the years, including torn ACLs, knee fractures, a broken ankle and more.

Vonn divulged within her retirement post that she underwent surgery on her right knee following last season.

Vonn's 82 career World Cup wins are the most ever by a woman, and she is just four short of the overall record held by Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark.

In addition to her World Cup excellence, Vonn is a multi-time Olympian who has one gold medal and two bronze medals on her resume.

It would likely be more if not for the fact that she missed the 2014 Winter Games with a knee injury.

While Vonn's super-G career is now over, she is still scheduled to take part in the downhill event at the World Championships on Sunday. 

Putting an end to all of the speculation about her career, Lindsey Vonn announced Friday she will retire from professional skiing.

In a post on her official Facebook page, Vonn said she will take part in the world championships next week in Sweden before hanging up her skis:

Questions about Vonn's future grew after she was unable to finish a run at the World Cup super-G on Jan. 20 with pain in her knee stemming from multiple surgeries throughout the course of her career. 

"I've had four surgeries on my right knee. I've got no LCL (lateral collateral ligament) on my left knee. I've got two braces on. There's only so much I can handle and I might have reached my maximum," Vonn told reporters. "I'm not sure. I've got to take a couple days' time and really think about things."

Vonn, 34, became the first American woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal in the downhill race in 2010. She also won two gold medals at the 2009 World Championships in the downhill and super-G. 

Her final Olympic appearance in 2018 resulted in a bronze medal in the downhill. She also placed sixth in the super-G. 

Vonn also won the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup overall title four times in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. 

American Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin won her 36th World Cup slalom race Saturday in Austria to break a tie with Marlies Raich for the most in history by a female competitor.

Eric Willemsen of the Associated Press provided comments from Shiffrin, who edged Petra Vlhova of Slovakia and Wendy Holdener of Switzerland.

"[Raich] is my biggest idol beside Bode Miller," Shiffrin said. "When I was young, I wanted to be the best skier in the world. I was always watching Marlies; she was a legend. To me, she is the best slalom skier. I wouldn't be here without her. For me, she has this record forever."

The victory capped a memorable 2018 for the 23-year-old Colorado native.

Shiffrin won a gold medal in the giant slalom during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and also captured silver in the combined event.

She earned her second straight World Cup overall title in March on the strength of her fifth slalom title in the past six years.

"It's a little bit unbelievable, in every meaning of the word," she said of her year, per Willemsen.

Shiffrin is on pace for an even more dominant World Cup result during the 2018-19 season thanks to a greater focus on the super-G, in which she ranks first after wins in Canada and Switzerland.

It's helped her build a massive lead in the overall. With 1,034 points following Saturday's win, she is nearly 500 ahead of her closest competitor (Vlhova, 568).

Her improvement in the super-G could make her a serious threat for four medals when the 2022 Olympics roll around, and she may even make enough strides in the downhill by then to compete in all five medal events in Beijing.

Shiffrin has won 51 World Cup races across all disciplines since her first victory in December 2012.

American Alpine skiing sensation Mikaela Shiffrin defied her own expectations Saturday in winning a World Cup super-G event in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Graham Dunbar of the Associated Press provided comments from Shiffrin, who has now won back-to-back super-G titles after her triumph Sunday in Lake Louise, Canada.

"I did not expect to win today," she said. "Something is working right now, and I'm enjoying it. Coming into this race I thought, 'Yeah, now I have no excuses.'"

The 23-year-old Colorado native is wrapping up a terrific 2018 that was highlighted by a gold medal in the giant slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Shiffrin will skip the next World Cup event in Italy and will return to action in slalom and giant slalom races in France starting Dec. 21, per Dunbar.

"Pick and choose which races seem to be appropriate," she said.

While she's trying to pace herself with the World Championships coming in February and the final World Cup races slated for March, her schedule figures to become hectic in the months ahead since she ranks inside the top five in all five Alpine disciplines.

Furthermore, Shiffrin is setting herself up to contend for gold in every event when the 2022 Winter Games take place in Beijing in just over three years.

Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn has announced she will retire at the end of the 2018-19 season, regardless of whether she breaks the all-time record for most World Cup wins. 

As reported by The Independent the 33-year-old has taken 82 World Cup victories during her long career, leaving her just four behind Ingemar Stenmark.

She's already the women's record holder and told reporters that is enough to be proud of:

"This is going to be my last season. Definitely retiring after this year.

"If I could break the record that would be amazing, if I can't it has been a great ride, and I am still the most successful female and I still think that's something to be really proud of.

"So we'll just see what happens this year."

She also alluded to her plans post-skiing career on social media:

My experiences on the slopes have helped shape me into who I am today. I’m confident those same lessons will pay off as I begin to explore what’s next for my career. #ad Check out my Facebook Live chat from today with @ChaseforBiz. #ChaseInk https://t.co/mT7LebBUi3 pic.twitter.com/LTegfv6n8X

— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) October 11, 2018

Per The Independent, Vonn previously said she would not retire until she broke the all-time record of 86 World Cup wins. 

Vonn took five total wins in the 2017-18 campaign, with four coming in the downhill and one in the Super-G. The downhill has always been her top event, resulting in eight world titles between 2008 and 2016. She also won an Olympic gold medal in the event in 2010.

Injuries have slowed her down in recent years, causing her to miss the 2014 Olympics and setting her back in her preparations for the 2018 Games. She managed to win bronze in the downhill but finished well behind Italy's Sofia Goggia, who has become one of the new dominant forces in women's downhill racing. 

The bronze made her the oldest woman to medal in an Olympic alpine skiing event. Vonn won three Olympic medals in total, with another bronze coming in the Super-G in 2010.

Mikaela Shiffrin clinched her second consecutive overall World Cup title Friday before she even made her final run in the giant slalom competition.

The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com) reported the news, noting Wendy Holdener had to finish in first or second place to remain mathematically alive in the race for the World Cup title. However, the Swiss skier was unable to finish high enough in her final run, giving the title to Shiffrin.

It is a testament to Shiffrin's dominance that she clinched the title at the giant slalom race in Ofterschwang, Germany, even though there are still five races left in the season.

According to Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports, the American finished in third place in Friday's race and was 0.74 seconds behind Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel. Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg came in second.

Zaccardi noted Shiffrin did much of the legwork on the way to her title during a stretch from Thanksgiving to Jan. 9, where she won 10 of 14 starts.

Friday was her first race since she thrived at the Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, capturing gold in the giant slalom and silver in the super combined.

The AP noted Shiffrin joined Lindsey Vonn as the second American female skier to win the overall title more than once. Vonn has won it four times.

Switzerland beat out Austria to win gold Friday (Saturday in South Korea) in the inaugural Olympic alpine skiing team event at the Yongpyong Alpine Centre in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Denise Feierabend, Ramon Zenhaeusern, Wendy Holdener and Daniel Yule of Switzerland were victorious in three of the four races over Austria in the final.

Austria's Katharina Liensberger beat Feierabend by three-tenths of a second in the first race, but Switzerland won the next three, which forced Austria to settle for silver.

In the small final, Norway beat out France for bronze.

NBC Olympics tweeted the following video of Yule beating Marco Schwarz in the final race of the big final to clinch gold for the Swiss:

Switzerland is GOLDEN! 🇨🇭

The first ever alpine team event in #WinterOlympics history goes to the Swiss! https://t.co/nZf7QVVztK pic.twitter.com/ygEHjYgb3Y

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 24, 2018

As seen in the following bracket for the alpine team event, the final was a battle between top-seeded Austria and No. 2 Switzerland, with the Swiss pulling off a minor upset:

Switzerland. SHARPIE. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/hACUNar9km

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 24, 2018

While Norway fell short in its bid to knock off Austria in the semis, its bronze added to its Olympics-leading medal haul, as evidenced by the following medal count tracker:

Norway and France each won two races in the small final, and while France had a faster collective time, the tiebreaker was based on the combined times for the fastest male skier and fastest female skier on each team.

Under that criteria, Norway beat France by 0.12 seconds. Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen was the biggest difference-maker for the Norwegians with a time of 19.69 seconds in their last run, which beat out France's Clement Noel and his time of 20 seconds.

The alpine skiing team event, which was contested at the Olympics for the first time, featured a series of head-to-head matchups in each round.

There were four races on the parallel slalom course in each matchup with the men facing the men and the women facing the women.

Team USA was expected to vie for a medal as the No. 5 seed, but it was upset by 12th-seeded Great Britain in the opening round on time.

The Brits nearly upset Norway in the quarterfinals, but they were eliminated on time as well.

Among the skiers on the Swiss team, Zenhaeusern and Holdener have now won multiple medals at the 2018 Games.

Zenhaeusern took silver in the men's slalom, while Holdener won silver in the women's slalom and bronze in the women's combined.

Norway's Oystein Braaten edged American Nick Goepper to win Olympic gold in the men's freestyle skiing slopestyle event at Phoenix Snow Park in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Saturday (Sunday in South Korea).

Braaten scored a 95.00 in his first of three runs in the finals, which was enough to hold off an impressive third run by Goepper, which yielded a 93.60. Canada's Alex Beaulieu-Marchand took bronze with a 92.40.

Here is the full finishing order for the finals courtesy of NBC Olympics:

1. Oystein Braaten (NOR): 95.00

2. Nick Goepper (USA): 93.60

3. Alex Beaulieu-Marchand (CAN): 92.40

4. James Woods (GBR): 91.00

5. Teal Harle (CAN): 90.00

6. Evan McEachran (CAN): 89.40

7. Andri Ragettli (SUI): 85.80

8. Ferdinand Dahl (NOR): 76.40

9. Elias Ambuehl (SUI): 73.20

10. Jonas Hunziker (SUI): 66.20

11. Oscar Wester (SWE): 62.00

12. Gus Kenworthy (USA): 35.00

Here is a look at the updated medal tracker after Braaten added to Norway's already impressive haul:

After winning silver in slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, Gus Kenworthy struggled mightily in the 2018 final and settled for a 12th-place finish.

Team USA swept the podium in the event at the 2014 Sochi Games, but the Americans were in danger of missing the podium altogether prior to Goepper's final run.

With 2014 gold medalist Joss Christensen missing the team and both McRae Williams and Alex Hall falling short of the final, the United States' medal hopes rested solely on the shoulders of Kenworthy and Goepper.

Kenworthy's best run in qualification would have gotten him close to the podium in the final, but he didn't have his A-game over his final three runs.

The 2014 silver medalist was banged up entering the day, as he broke his thumb during Wednesday's practice session:

Broke my thumb yesterday in practice. It won't stop me from competing (obvi) but it does prevent me from shaking Pence's hand so... Silver linings! Will be giving my teammates (and literally everyone else) an enthusiastic "thumbs up!" of encouragement the rest of the trip. pic.twitter.com/XylPPGAq9P

— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) February 15, 2018

Kenworthy had a chance to get himself in medal position on his third run after two subpar attempts, but he was unable to make it through.

According to Rachel Axon of USA Today, an awkward landing on his second jump prevented him from finishing it out:

Gus Kenworthy won’t medal. Landed back-to-back double corks on his first two jumps but had a bit of a sketchy landing and didn’t take the third one.

— Rachel Axon (@RachelAxon) February 18, 2018

Goepper's first two runs were somewhat pedestrian, but he saved his biggest tricks for his final run, which made him a threat to reach the podium.

He was much smoother on the rails in his third attempt, and after nailing three big tricks, Goepper found himself in second place.

Per Axon, the crowd was hugely behind Goepper after his medal-winning run:

This place going nuts for that run by Nick Goepper. Chants of U-S-A!

— Rachel Axon (@RachelAxon) February 18, 2018

Goepper's spot was far from safe with several big threats yet to go, but none of them could surpass him with the exception of Braaten's first run.

Beaulieu-Marchand had an opportunity to move up from bronze to silver or gold, but his third-run score of 82.40 kept him in third.

Top qualifier Oscar Wester of Sweden was the last to go, but after crashing in his final attempt, Braaten, Goepper and Beaulieu-Marchand celebrated.

With his silver, Goepper is the only man with two Olympic medals in slopestyle skiing during its brief history in the Games.

Switzerland's Sarah Hoefflin took home the gold medal in the women's slopestyle skiing event Saturday in South Korea at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.      

She came through with a 91.20 score on her final run to take the top spot. She is competing in her first Olympics at the age of 27 and made a name for herself at the X Games last month in Colorado with a gold in the big air. 

Switzerland also won a silver medal thanks to Mathilde Gremaud, while Isabel Atkin from Great Britain captured the bronze.    

Here are the top results from the slopestyle event, via the Olympics' website:

Gold: Sarah Hoefflin (Switzerland), 91.20

Silver: Mathilde Gremaud (Switzerland), 88.00

Bronze: Isabel Atkin (Great Britain), 84.60

Per Will Graves of the Associated Press, Hoefflin may not be an Olympic gold medalist if she got into medical school three years ago:

Switzerland's Sarah Hoefflin only took up freestyle skiing a couple of years ago when she couldn't get into med school (she has a degree in neuroscience). 5 years later she's in place to win gold at the #Olympics

— Will Graves (@WillGravesAP) February 17, 2018

On the other side of the coin, Gremaud, who just turned 18 on Feb. 8, is a rising star in the sport. 

American Maggie Voisin came into this event with a lot of momentum after winning gold at the X Games last month. The 19-year-old was present at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, despite being sidelined with a broken ankle, so this was her official in-competition debut at the Games. 

After posting the lowest mark during qualifying (73.00), Voisin put herself in position to win a bronze medal thanks to an 81.20 score in the final. 

👍 @maggie_voisin vaults into 3rd in her final run in the women's freeski slopestyle! Can she hold on for a medal?

Stream: https://t.co/IPPn1gDO83 pic.twitter.com/vYegxwNi4A

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 17, 2018

It appeared as if Voisin would be able to hang on to a medal spot, as she was still in third place with four skiers remaining. Atkin ended her dream by scoring three points better than the budding star. 

It was also a historic moment for Great Britain, which had never won a skiing medal at the Winter Olympics. 

Perrine Laffont sits in first place after the initial run in the women's moguls at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The France national posted a score of 79.72 to lead all competitors, giving her prime placement for the finals Sunday. Canada's Andi Naude and American Morgan Schild are among the 10 finishers to advance directly to the finals with strong showings Thursday night.

The other 20 athletes will have another chance to compete for a medal, but they will need to bounce back with a top-10 showing in the second qualifier prior to the finals.

               

Results from Qualification 1

1. Perrine Laffont (FRA) - 79.72

2. Andi Naude (CAN) - 79.60

3. Morgan Schild (USA) - 77.74

4. Justine Dufour-Lapointe (CAN) - 77.66

5. Jaelin Kauf (USA) - 77.45

6. Britteny Cox (AUS) - 76.78

7. Yulia Galysheva (KAZ) - 76.36

8. Keaton McCargo (USA) - 75.67

9. Arisa Murata (JPN) - 74.13

10. Audrey Robichaud (CAN) - 72.48

Full results available at Olympic.org.

           

Laffont was easily the best on the first day of action, flying down the course while earning points in a variety of ways. Her 50.5 points on turns were the most of any competitor and went a long way toward earning her 79.72 score.

The French star struggled four years ago at this event but finished second at world championships last year, and she is clearly a top contender to bring home the gold this time around.

Meanwhile, Naude was a bit of a surprise in second place, although her airtime made a big impact on her high score.

It was more of a quiet start for Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, the Canadian sisters who earned the gold and silver respectively at the 2014 Olympics.

Justine, who also won the gold medal at the 2015 world championships, posted a 77.66 in her first run, which was good enough for fourth place, although she will need to perform better going forward to once again end up on top of the podium.

Her sister Chloe struggled, however, finishing outside the top 10 with a score of 69.53.

American Jaelin Kauf is the odds-on favorite in this event, according to OddsShark, and remains in good shape after a fifth-place finish in the first run. Although she posted a great time of 28.91 seconds, her overall score needs improvement in order to live up to expectations.

Instead, it was Schild who finished with the best score of the four Americans in the field with a 77.74. Keaton McCargo also qualified for the finals while Tess Johnson will have to earn her spot in the finals in the second qualification.

Defending world champion Britteny Cox could also be a tough one to beat after finishing in sixth place in the first qualification.

Those who did not qualify for one of the top 10 spots will have to earn a spot in the finals in the second qualifier early Sunday. The 20 finalists will then battle across three runs Sunday to decide the final results for the medal stand.