OLYMPICS: Alpine skiing-Vonn takes strength from visit to late coach's grave

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy – Lindsey Vonn drew strength and inspiration from a visit to the grave of her late friend and coach Erich Sailer as she prepared to race in the women’s Olympic downhill, despite suffering a serious knee injury.

Sailer, who also coached Vonn’s father, Alan Kildow, and was a close family friend, passed away in August last year at the age of 99.

“I went to see Erich on my way here. He is just outside of Innsbruck,” Vonn said during a news conference in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Tuesday.

“And yeah, I did cry for myself, but that’s the only time I’ve cried. I miss him. I know exactly what he would say to me right now. And it definitely gives me additional hope,” she added.

Vonn, 41, revealed that she completely ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a crash in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, last Friday. A torn ACL typically requires surgery and a recovery period of six to nine months.

Until her injury, Vonn had been a favorite for downhill gold. She led the downhill World Cup standings and had stood on the podium in all five races this season, winning twice.

Asked what Sailer would have said to her, Vonn replied: “He would say it’s only 90 seconds. What’s 90 seconds in a lifetime? It’s nothing. You can do it. That’s what he said to me before my last run in Åre, and I know that’s what he would say to me again today.”

On Monday, Vonn shared a photo on Instagram of Sailer’s gravestone bathed in sunlight, writing: “I know exactly what he would say… just wish he was here to say it.”

The women’s downhill is scheduled for Sunday, with three training sessions beginning on Thursday. -Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Toby Davis/Reuters