Vonn has best time
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Comebacks make for great Olympics stories, and they come in many forms. Just look at what Seth Wescott and Lindsey Vonn pulled off Monday.
Wescott came to the Winter Olympics as the reigning champion in snowboardcross, yet also as damaged goods. He hurt his leg and pelvis two months ago and it showed in the races since. He opened Monday’s event by finishing 17th of the 32 riders in qualifying, but found his stride to reach the finals.
Then he found himself way back with five jumps left — only to make it up with a thrilling finish that snatched a gold from the host country.
When Wescott crossed the finish line ahead of Canada’s Mike Robertson, fans gasped and cheered while the 33-year-old champion fell to the ground, exhausted and exhilarated.
Tony Ramoin of France won the bronze.
American Nate Holland, a five-time Winter X Games champ, spun out early in the final foursome.
Vonn was the headliner coming into Vancouver, then all the hype seemed for naught when she revealed a shin injury that made it painful to even wear a ski boot. But the bad weather was a blessing for her recovery and in her first training run early Monday, on the upper section of the course, she had the fastest time in the field.
Then there was a downturn. A bumpy afternoon run on the lower section left her hobbling again and hoping for more weather delays.
The United States upped its medal collection to eight, double any other country. Americans have won two golds, topped only by Switzerland’s three.
The most important thing about Vonn’s training run wasn’t her time. It was simply finishing, which fulfilled the requirement of running the course on the same day at least once.
With a starting spot waiting for her, Vonn will turn her attention to being there. The race is scheduled for Wednesday and there’s another training session today, although she’s now eligible to skip it.
“The course here is just so bumpy,” Vonn said. “It was a fight just to make it down the whole way.”
Problems with ice-resurfacing machines caused a delay of about an hour during the men’s 500-meter speedskating. But that’s not why American Shani Davis dropped out.
Davis finished 18th in the first race, then withdrew, skipping the second heat to save his energy for the 1,000 on Wednesday night. He’s the defending champion and the world record-holder at that distance.
Gold went to Mo Tae-bum of South Korea, a country better known for its short-track speedskaters. Tucker Fredricks was the top American, finishing 12th.
In cross-country skiing, Switzerland’s Dario Cologna collapsed across the finish line after winning the men’s 15-kilometer freestyle cross-country race. Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla led from start to finish to win the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle race.
In the men’s race, Italian Pietro Piller Cottrer won the silver and Lukas Bauer of the Czech Republic took bronze. James Southam was the top American finisher at 48th.
In the women’s event, Kristina Smigun-Vaehi of Estonia, who won two golds in 2006 but has struggled this season, took silver and Marit Bjoergen of Norway got the bronze. Caitlin Compton finished 30th, the best by an American since 1984.
In women’s luge, reigning world champion Erin Hamlin of the United States came out of the first two runs in 15th place, but came away insisting, “It’s still a race.”
There are two more runs today. Germany’s Tatjana Huefner is the leader so far.
In figure skating, Johnny Weir already has decided to drop fur from his costume. Now he’s thinking about adding a quadruple jump to his program.
“What do I have to lose?” Weir said. “I’m not a favorite for a medal here. If I feel like doing it, I will do it.”
The flamboyant three-time U.S. champion has rarely used the four-revolution jump. Urged to do it by his coach, Galina Zmievskaya, Weir pulled off a good one during practice Monday.
In women’s hockey, forward Erika Lawler didn’t break any bones or sprain any ligaments when she crashed into the boards Sunday. But she was bruised enough to skip practice Monday.
Coach Mark Johnson is optimistic Lawler will play today against Russia. He knows her pretty well, too. She played for him at the University of Wisconsin, winning three national championships in four years.