Lindsey Vonn, the ski legend, withdraws in surprise with a shock announcement to Cortina: "Too much pain, it ends here"

Lindsey Vonn, la leggenda dello sci si ritira a sorpresa con annuncio choc a Cortina: "Troppo dolore, finisce qui"

Lindsey Vonn, the ski legend withdraws in surprise with a shock announcement to Cortina: "Too much pain, it ends here" (ANSA / AP Photo / Gabriele Facciotti)

CORTINA – The snows of Cortina have seen her triumph 12 times and in Cortina Lindsey Vonn could have definitely closed her amazing career (with the record of 82 victories in the World Cup). The announcement of a final goodbye to the races immediately comes at the end of the super-cup of the world won by another American, Mikaela Shiffrin. Vonn ended up outside and at the end of the race he got everyone out of his way: "I did not want to stop, but I can not continue, the pain in my knee is too much, and I do not know what to do. I have to think about it and decide whether to stop immediately or not ".

The US, 34, took some time to decide: close in Cortina what she had already announced to be her last season, or go ahead as planned until March and participate in the World Cup in Aare attempting the assault to the absolute supercord of 86 victories belonging to Ingemar Stenmark. The Sunday of the alpine skiing in Cortina was in the sign of the Americans while in Wengen a new champion was born with the first special victory of the young French Clement Noel who, at 21, won by beating the Austrians Manuel Feller, 2 / oe above all the fugitive ace Marcel Hirscher "only" third.

For Italy there were Stefano Gross 9 / o and always struggling with knee problems, Manfred Moelgg 12 / o and Giuliano Razzoli 15 / o. In short, overall a modest blue test. As was the case of the Italian super-giants in Cortina, where Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein came second and the Austrian Tamara Tippler with Federica Brignone the best of the Italian, 11 / a. Still further behind Elena Curtoni 14 / a, Francesca Marsaglia 17 / a, Nadia Fanchini 27 / a.

Instead it ended up jumping for the door – as many athletes including Vonn, Ilka Stuhec and Lara Gut on a track where it was very difficult to keep the line – Nicol Delago while his little sister Nadia, at the debut in the world cup, closed 32 / a, immediately behind Marta Bassino. In Cortina also Sofia Goggia showed up, who at the touch of her friend Lindsey Vonn delivered a large bouquet of flowers as a tribute to the last race in Cortina, and maybe of career, on the track where the American won well 12 times.

The girls now go to Germany, to Garmisch-Partenkirchen: Saturday descent and Sunday superG. From Thursday 'the two time trials with Sofia Goggia to return after the fracture of the malleolus who will do a real test on the field before deciding whether to race or not on the German track. The men's world cup goes instead to Kitzbuehel, the temple of skiing with its terrible Streif track: from Friday to Sunday next there are a super-G, the classic descent and a special slalom. It is the most awaited stage by the blue Dominik Paris, three times winner on the Streif.