Olympic ski champion Shiffrin heading home for knee injury

Lindsey Vonn led the opening run of a World Cup giant slalom in Are, Sweden, on Saturday while American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin missed the race following a warmup crash.

“She basically flipped over into the net”, Albrecht told the AP in describing how the injury occurred.

Here’s an update- I fell during free skiing on the race hill and I’m waiting for an MRI this afternoon to see what’s going on.

The U.S. Ski Team did not immediately issue a statement on Shiffrin’s status, as per team policy to await full injury details.

The 20-year-old won back-to-back slalom races in her home state last month.

The women’s tour this season is already missing the last two World Cup overall champions – Anna Fenninger (knee surgery) and Tina Maze (break). The event is not her best – she is stronger in downhill and super-G, the speed events.

Austria’s Eva-Maria Brem came second and discipline leader Federica Brignone of Italy was third, 0.35 seconds back.

This was the fourth straight win for Vonn, having taken three speed races last weekend in Lake Louise, Alberta. She celebrated her first-run lead by raising her left pole and pumping her fist.

“I watched playback of that win yesterday evening and I had plenty of confidence coming out of Lake Louise”.

In all, 14 skiers failed to finish the first leg. “On the second run, I knew that Marcel had skied really fast and that I had to push it”. “It’s like the same landscape”, said Vonn, who moved to Vail, Colorado, as an adolescent.

In the second run, Vonn’s lead over Brem was down to just three hundredths at the final interval but her gliding skills paid off over the final gates.

By traveling to the USA she will also miss Sunday’s slalom.

“I love racing here in Are under the lights”, Vonn said, having explained earlier that it reminds her of training after school while growing up in Minnesota.

“This is a serious injury with a long rehab process and Sara will need to undergo surgery in the next few days”, said national team doctor Per Liljeholm.

Andrew Dampf of the Associated Press reported she was transported to a local hospital to undergo further testing on the injury.