By Alan Baldwin
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Aksel Lund Svindal is a Norwegian Olympic hero, winner of four career Alpine skiing medals including two golds, but at the Milano Cortina Games he has USA in large letters across the back of his jacket.
The sartorial transformation of the towering former “Attacking Viking”, a consequence of accepting a job as coach to U.S. great Lindsey Vonn in her astonishing Olympic comeback bid, has not gone unnoticed.
“The first day I went down to breakfast, I kind of had to start easy so it was like a small American flag on a T-shirt, and the first three girls that came down were like ‘That looks funny on you’,” he told reporters in the finish area of the Olimpia delle Tofane women’s downhill piste.
“So I’m getting some shit for it.
“But everyone realises this is kind of a cool project. I’m happy I said yes to this. I’m really happy she (Vonn) called because it’s been an adventure.”
Vonn, 41, is attempting to become the oldest Alpine skiing Olympic medallist despite rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) last week. On Saturday she was third fastest in final downhill training.
Svindal, 43, and the American were contemporaries on the World Cup circuit, at Olympics and world championships. Vonn won the women’s downhill gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games while the Norwegian was men’s super-G champion, beating U.S. great Bode Miller.
Svindal was also a silver medallist in downhill in 2010, again beating Miller, and bronze in giant slalom and won downhill gold at Pyeongchang in 2018 in a Norwegian one-two with Kjetil Jansrud.
Winner of 36 World Cup races, he was twice overall World Cup champion — he and Vonn both taking their respective big crystal globes in 2009.
Both retired in 2019, with the American then returning in 2024 to start an extraordinary comeback after knee surgery. She brought Svindal on board last August.
Svindal, who has a small Norwegian flag on his ski binding courtesy of makers Head, said Vonn had not suggested he attempt a similar return but had been pushing the same knee replacement operation.
“Our right knees are very similar,” he smiled. “But no, I know the work and dedication and also the mental strength that it takes to do a comeback like that.
“And then also when you get injured and try to fight through that. I look back on my memories with happiness, but I don’t have it in me to try to do that again. That would be crazy.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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