Vonn starting to look ahead to 2014 Games

Associated Press

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia

Lindsey Vonn is in an Olympic frame of mind.

While she didn’t win over the weekend, she came away from the official test event for the 2014 Games with two World Cup titles and plenty of reasons to be encouraged about the Rosa Khutor course that will be used in Sochi.

“This is the beginning — getting this track dialed in my mind — and finally getting a chance to see the course, so I’m finally really excited for the Olympics,” Vonn said. “I’ve always been excited for the Olympics, but it’s different when you have nothing to visualize. Now I’ve been here and I know the track and I can just play it over in my mind — over and over again — for two years.”

“That was the main goal for me, just to see what Sochi was all about, all the terrain, and really get a handle in my mind of what the course is going to be like for the Olympics,” she added. “And I definitely feel like I accomplished that.”

After dominating both training sessions, Vonn finished third in Saturday’s downhill, a result she partly attributed to a poor choice of skis.

“It doesn’t mean anything for the Olympics,” Vonn said. “I’m really comfortable on this track. I’m really, really excited about it and I’m sure my skis will be rockets for the Olympics.”

Sunday’s super-combined was canceled because of heavy snowfall, and racers were also denied one training session because of bad weather.

“It’s disappointing but it’s ski racing,” Vonn said. “For the Olympics, they’re going to have more time to play with, more time to prepare the course, and if the snow is like it is today they have another day or two or three to make sure it’s in good condition.”

Vonn won the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games, her victory coming after only one training run because of an extended stretch of rain, snow and sleet. If this test event was any indication, the Sochi Games could also be affected by humidity, with the newly built Alpine resorts just a half-hour drive from the Black Sea.

Vonn will again be burdened by big expectations come the Olympics, although she is a bit wiser.

“It doesn’t really get any more pressure than what I had at the Olympics in 2010, so I feel like no matter what the pressure is I can handle it,” Vonn said.

While 2014 is still two years away, Vonn already has a clear idea of where she’d like to improve.

“I would love to do better in the super-G,” she said. “I skied well in the super-combined [but] straddled a gate halfway down, so I would love to get a medal in that. So there’s definitely a lot of things I would love to do better.”