I’ve been trying to wean myself off superstition but when, on the opening weekend of the Winter Olympics, the 13th competitor in the women’s downhill found herself flying sideways through the air just as the stopwatch ticked into the 13th second, it felt like a die was cast. For an event built around the single-minded pursuit of excellence (motto: “higher, faster, stronger — together”), the following days seemed to unfold amid unusually high levels of crashes and calamity.
That unfortunate airborne skier was, of course, Lindsey Vonn, probably the most famous ski racer in the business. As she stood in the start gate, the commentator — in retrospect ever so slightly tempting fate — had announced the “comeback of all comebacks”. After a five-year career break, with a right knee rebuilt from titanium and plastic, the 41-year-old had returned chasing Olympic glory. Only a week before the Games, she tore a ligament in her left knee but, miraculously, she was still third-fastest in practice, the stage set for a sporting fairytale.
