Vonn Skis Downhill, Skips Slalom At Worlds

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) -- Lindsey Vonn completed the downhill leg of the super-combined at the world skiing championships on Friday and skipped the slalom to prepare for the downhill on Sunday.

Vonn has been struggling with the lingering effects of a concussion following a crash during training last week. She finished the 2.9-kilometer Kandahar course 1.60 seconds off the leading time by Austria's super-G champion Elisabeth Goergl.

"Unfortunately I lost focus about three-quarters, halfway down the course," Vonn said. "It wasn't as bad as it was in the super-G by any means, but I definitely felt it still, and I'm not 100 percent yet."

Vonn said she would rather concentrate on defending her downhill title on Sunday.

"Everything is still looking pretty positive and I'm still making good progress," she said. "I just have to keep giving it rest and keep making sure that I'm skiing with no symptoms. I passed all my tests yesterday and today, so it's just a matter of getting the rest that I need and hopefully being ready for the race on Sunday."

The defending champion finished seventh in Tuesday's super-G and skipped downhill training the next day. On Thursday, Vonn took a full training run at a leisurely speed, wearing a casual outfit to slow her down. She had said she regarded the downhill part of the super-combined as a training run and would likely sit out the slalom.

In Friday's downhill, Vonn was hampered by similar troubles as in her super-G run, though to a lesser extent.

"It's like skiing in a fog. The reaction isn't there. I'm just kind of slow and I'm not able to be aggressive," she said. "Things kind of come at me, and I feel like I can't really do anything. ... But it definitely wasn't as bad today as it was in the super-G."

Vonn may skip final downhill training on Saturday.

"I may ski tomorrow or I may not, but at least now I've skied the run in my downhill suit," she said. "I know the speeds, I know the bumps, I know the line, so I'm feeling confident from that aspect. It's just a matter of really being able to focus from top to bottom and that's really all that's missing right now."

Vonn said doctors advised her to stay in a dark room without much stimulation to optimize rest.

"So I will be in a dark room probably watching the race from the TV, unfortunately. I would love to be in the finish, but I don't think that's the right move to be healthy for tomorrow and Sunday."

AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed to this story.

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