USA TODAY Sports
SOELDEN, Austria - While injuries have forced many of ski racing’s biggest names to sit out the season-opening World Cup events this weekend, American standout Lindsey Vonn has unexpectedly announced her start in the women’s giant slalom.
The absence of GS specialists like Lara Gut, Anna Veith, Federica Brignone and Eva-Maria Brem might present Vonn with a good chance to score valuable World Cup points in Saturday’s race, her first GS start since January 2016.
Those points could ultimately help Vonn, who is ranked outside the top 30 in the discipline standings, to get a more favorable starting position in the Olympic giant slalom in Pyeongchang in February.