VAIL — As Lindsey Vonn balanced on a yellow board, she made those who ride on asphalt, waves and snow look like amateurs. Underneath the board was a wheel. As she steadied herself with knees slightly bent, trainer Martin Hager pushed and prodded to throw her off balance. First he applied pressure to her left shoulder, then her surgically-repaired right knee.
The most successful female ski racer in American history stayed upright — and then some. For the first time since her horrifying crash at the world championships in February, Vonn will return to on-snow training when she leaves Friday for Portillo, Chile.
After a brief workout on Wednesday at Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, Vonn said her right knee feels just almost as healthy as her left one — 98% was her estimate, and her balance on her right leg is now better than her left.
“I haven’t had to ice after a workout in a month and a half,” she said with a wide smile.
Following two weeks in Chile, Vonn hopes to return to her home in Colorado and resume training if there’s early snow in Vail. Her first race will be in Beaver Creek, right after Thanksgiving, followed by the World Cup season and then the Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Though Vonn is eager to get back to gate training her Red Bull trainer will try to slow down an athlete intent on going full-speed ahead.
“We’ll just try to see how she feels on snow, how her knee is reacting. Not getting swelling will be the focus for first two days — skiing without any pain,” Hager said.
Vonn, of course, has bigger goals — gate training, she said out of earshot of her coach.
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