ARE, Sweden — As Mikaela Shiffrin hopped atop the podium to celebrate another gold medal, Lindsey Vonn was near the finish area, stretching her ailing knees and explaining just how she wound up entangled in a safety net halfway down the course.

With a daring and often wild run, Shiffrin won the super-G by 0.02 seconds at the world championships Tuesday for her first medal in a speed event at a major championship. She has now won a gold medal at four straight worlds.

For Vonn, it was an afternoon that made her question her decision to return for one last bid for a title before retirement.

Racing straight after Shiffrin, Vonn was already 0.08 behind at the first checkpoint when she straddled a gate mid-air, landed heavily on her right side, crashed her head against her left arm, and careened into the safety nets.

Medical personnel tended to Vonn she got to her feet, put on her skis, and went down the hill unaided. She looked groggy and in pain as she performed a slew of post-race interviews, but seemed better a few hours later.

“I’ve got a bit of a shiner,” Vonn said, showing the right side of her face. “I feel like I’ve been hit by an 18-wheeler.”

A positive sign was the way she spoke about still being a contender in the downhill on Sunday, in what will be the final race of her storied career.

“Don’t count me out,” said Vonn, the winner of a women’s record of 82 World Cup races. “I’ve got one more chance. Maybe I’ll pull off a miracle, maybe I won’t.”


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