Bend’s Ross set to race in downhill
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Bend alpine skier Laurenne Ross is set to compete in at least one more event at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Ross, who finished 15th in the women’s super-G Saturday for the U.S., is scheduled to race in Wednesday’s downhill (6 p.m. Tuesday Pacific time), according to her father, Rob Ross, who is at the Olympics.
Laurenne Ross took part in all three downhill training runs. She finished 12th on Sunday, 19th on Monday, and 18th on Tuesday.
Ross’ U.S. teammate Mikaela Shiffrin, who won the gold medal in giant slalom last week, has elected not to race in the downhill, opening up another spot for Ross, who finished 11th in the downhill at the 2014 Sochi Games. Ross is expected to be joined in the downhill by fellow Americans Lindsey Vonn, Breezy Johnson and Alice McKennis.
Thursday’s alpine combined (downhill and slalom) was also a possibility for Ross, but Rob Ross said it is unlikely that she would compete in that event.
“Unless she changes her mind I don’t think she’ll race the combined,” Rob Ross wrote in a text message to The Bulletin on Tuesday (Monday Pacific Time). “It is just too hard on her knee right now.”
Ross, 29, tore the ACL and meniscus in her right knee 11 months ago, and she recovered just in time to qualify for the Pyeongchang Games.
— Bulletin staff report