Emotions run high as Lindsey Vonn’s hopes are dashed at Winter Olympics 2018

Third best | Lindsey Vonn on her way to taking bronze in the downhill final
Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty Images

The ladies’ downhill was every bit the Lindsey Vonn show despite the American only winning a bronze.

Her every move has been pored over from the moment she arrived in Pyeongchang with her pet pooch in her hands.

As the most successful female alpine skier in history, she was the pre-event favourite but her friend, Italy’s Sofia Goggia was a class apart.

The hopes of a golden fairytale to her final Olympic downhill were dashed but there was a record nonetheless as she became the oldest female medallist in alpine skiing at the Games, the 33-year-old eclipsing Michaela Dorfmeister, who had picked up double gold in 2006 just shy of her own 33rd birthday.

In Pictures | Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018

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While the spotlight has been on Vonn in Korea, she admitted she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love feeling so much pressure you feel suffocated but you still throw yourselves down the mountain with a hope of a medal,” she said, the pressure lifted with a medal after her mixed showing in the Super-G.

Striking a gate heavily on her way down had cost her time but not sufficiently for the gold to have been realistic, with Goggia finishing nearly half a second clear.

At the finish with the lower-ranked skiers to come, Vonn referenced Ester Ledecka, the shock Super-G winner, as she joked about feeling secure of a podium finish.

She said: “I’m optimistic that I could get on the podium but anything can happen as you could see from the Super-G but there’s no snowboarders in the race this time.”

And so it proved, although there was a surprise silver medallist in Ragnhild Mowinckel, the Norwegian never having placed higher than sixth in a World Cup downhill but only just nine-hundredths of a second off the win.

For Vonn, Pyeongchang has been emotional for numerous reasons. Her grandfather, her most fervent supporter, died in November and she carried his initials complete with a heart on her helmet. And for the first time, all the rest of her family were together at the bottom of the mountain at a Games. In addition, this was an Olympic farewell to an event she has dominated but one she had missed four years ago because of an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

“It’s been really hard for me not to get emotional for so many reasons, especially because of my grandfather,” she said. “I wanted to win so much because of him but I still think I made him proud.

“It’s sad it’s my last downhill. I wish I could keep going, I’m having so much fun and I love what I do but my body just can’t take another four years.”

Vonn described Goggia as untouchable on the course, the Italian sinking to her knees and kissing the snow in celebratiion before describing herself as a Samurai.

Vonn had been the populist favourite, Goggia in truth the purists’ having dominated training and the test event nearly a year ago.

The respect between the pair was apparent, Vonn wagging a finger at the Italian after she failed to eclipse her. Swapping World Cup wins has been a regular feature this season.

Goggia talked of the honour of racing Vonn, aware the rivalry would not extend to another Olympiad.

For Vonn’s part, she said simply: “I’m going to miss it.”

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