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Lindsey Vonn, her bruised shin
"killing me," lost her bid for a second Olympic gold medal
Thursday when she missed a gate and fell in the slalom leg of the
super-combined.


      Maria Riesch of Germany won the event, helping to atone for her
failure to challenge best friend and biggest rival Vonn in
Wednesday's marquee downhill race.


      Vonn, who once worried that the injury would keep her from
skiing at all in these Olympics, was fastest in the morning
downhill run of the super-combined but was visibly in pain after
the twisting slalom run on an icy course pressed her ski boot
against the badly bruised shin. 

Last among the leaders to ski in
the slalom, she was 0.07 seconds ahead of Reisch's pace at the
first checkpoint but fell behind by 0.18 seconds at the second
checkpoint on the bottom half of the course, then missed a gate and
lost her right ski before crashing to the snow.

      "It hurts so bad," Vonn said. "It's one thing to do the
downhill, but the super-combined is really tough on my shin. I
tried as hard as I could."

      She will get an off day on Friday before her next event,
Saturday's super-G, where she is an overwhelming favorite.


      Riesch had a total time of 2 minutes, 09.14 seconds to beat
Julia Mancuso of the United States by 0.94 seconds. Mancuso got her
second silver medal after being runner-up to Vonn in the downhill.
Anja Paerson of Sweden took the bronze, 1.05 behind Riesch.

      Vonn struggled in slalom this season even before the shin
injury. She has failed to complete a two-run race in four of seven
World Cup events, and her best result was runner-up behind Riesch
at the opener last November in Levi, Finland.


      Riesch, who trailed Vonn by 0.33 after the downhill run
Thursday, punched the air and pressed her hands to her goggles in
delight when she saw her time. 

She came into the games as the
biggest threat to Vonn's predicted domination of the women's Alpine
events but was a disappointing eighth in the downhill, and had an
anxious moment in the downhill leg of the super-combined Thursday.
She got too much air in a small jump before the halfway point and
veered momentarily off course before correcting her race line.


      Mancuso moved up a place after being third-fastest in the
downhill leg. She jumped for joy after finishing her slalom run and
then fell back on the snow, her skis in the air.


      Mancuso got the first U.S. medal in women's Olympic combined or
super-combined since Gretchen Fraser got silver at the 1948 St.
Moritz Games, and also became the fifth American woman to win two
Alpine medals in the same Olympics.

Gallery

Focus on Vonn only figures to increase after gold

Lindsey Vonn wins gold in women's downhill

Sports

Olympics and Paralympics

Lindsey Vonn has lost her bid
for a second Olympic title, missing a gate and falling in the
slalom leg of the super-combined. Best friend and biggest rival
Maria Riesch won the event.

Vonn crashes, German takes super-combined title

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