A combination of shear determination and a few painkillers helped Lindsey Vonn to return from injury and score enough points in the slalom to retina her World Cup lead.
The American, who injured her left arm and hip after crashing heavily in the giant slalom in Lienz, Austria, on Monday, returned to action with her hand strapped up and managed a respectable 18th place.
"I hoped that with painkillers, it would be OK, and I really tried hard. But I could not get the pain out of my mind," said Vonn, who raced with a splint earlier this year after a freak accident involving a champagne bottle at the World Championships.
"I hope that with the few days ahead, I will feel better," she added, looking ahead to Sunday's slalom in Zagreb. "But I must look further ahead and not damage my preparation plans for Vancouver [Olympics]," she said, hinting she might miss races along the way.
The downhill and super-G world champion, winner of the overall World Cup for the past two seasons and favourite in the speed events for the Olympics, confirmed she had microfractures in her hand.
'I must look further ahead and not damage my preparation plans for Vancouver' – Lindsey Vonn
"At first I felt OK because of the adrenalin. But afterwards the pain started to return and it was almost unbearable," she said after the slalom won by Austria's Marlies Schild. "It was very difficult to hold the pole in spite of the splint and I was suffering on every gate."
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