Aided by painkillers and numbing cream, Lindsey Vonn tested her badly bruised right shin Thursday by skiing for the first time since getting injured last week - and she came away encouraged about her Olympic prospects.
The opening women's Olympic downhill training session at Whistler, British Columbia, was called off after only two racers because of thick fog and low visibility, but Vonn did get in a free run on the mountain - although not on the official course.
"I was happy to be back on snow today," said Vonn, who lives and trains in Vail, Colo. "My shin was still very painful, but I feel like the injury is finally progressing a bit. I am always disappointed when a training run is canceled, but in this situation I definitely welcome the extra day to heal."
Thomas Vonn said his wife still aims to race in all five events at these Olympics, which certainly would be a relief to the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Olympic Committee and her fans - to say nothing of NBC and her various sponsors.
Before her injury became known, Lindsey Vonn was widely considered a candidate to win perhaps three or four medals - including an overwhelming favorite to win golds in the downhill and super-G - and become the breakout star of the Vancouver Games.
The first women's race of the Olympics, the super-combined, is scheduled for Sunday, and the outlook for Vonn was quite different Thursday, a little more than 24 hours after the two-time World Cup overall champion raised the possibility of not being able to compete at all.
"She had a smile today," Thomas Vonn said. "It's very encouraging. Like, it seems like it's kind of turning a corner, based off today."
Cook OK after crash: The women's training was cut short after American Stacey Cook crashed landing a jump and was flown by helicopter to a medical facility. The U.S. Olympic team's chief medical officer, Jim Moeller, said Cook was released from a clinic with pain and stiffness. X-rays and a CT scan showed no damage.
She slammed into the safety netting at full speed but managed to get up and stand under her own power. She then sat down and was tended to by the medical staff.
Cook was one of two racers who started training runs before the session was canceled because of thick fog and low visibility. She hasn't been ruled out for today's training run. Lucia Recchia of Italy was the only skier to make it down safely.
Two more women's training sessions are scheduled for today and Saturday before Sunday's super-combined race. The women's downhill is scheduled for Wednesday.
Men get in practice: The men's downhillers managed to squeeze in a full training session Thursday, at least keeping a chance of racing as scheduled Saturday.
Rules require that at least one training session be held before a downhill or super-combined race, and more bad weather is forecast for the next few days.
Michael Walchhofer of Austria led the men's session, speeding down the shortened Dave Murray course in 1 minute, 34.46 seconds.
Whistler local Robbie Dixon placed second, 0.09 seconds behind, and fellow Canadian Erik Guay was third, 0.22 back.
Provisional leader Didier Cuche of Switzerland was disqualified for missing a gate. Cuche led Wednesday's session before it was wiped out. Defending overall World Cup winner Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway placed seventh, and Bode Miller of the United States was right behind in eighth.
Romanian luger injured: A female Romanian luger was knocked unconscious after slamming into several walls during an Olympic training run at Whistler Mountain.
Violeta Stramaturaru was taken to an onsite medical facility. There was no immediate word on her condition.
Stramaturaru was strapped to a backboard while members of the Romanian team looked on. She was responsive and moving her arms when lifted onto the stretcher.
Her scary crash came moments after her sister, Raluca, had safely navigated the 16-turn track, the world's fastest sliding surface.
Opening ceremonies: Tony Benshoof missed the opening ceremony at the 2006 Turin Games, opting to rest before competing the following day.
This time, there's no way the three-time U.S. Olympic luge racer will skip the show.
Athletes set to compete on Saturday on the first full day of competition at the Vancouver Olympics are facing a thorny dilemma. Some have to make a choice between spending several hours standing Friday night at the opening ceremony or bypassing what, for many, will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
The opening ceremony in Vancouver is about 21/2 hours away from Whistler by bus. Even some Canadian sliders are choosing to stay home.
U.S. flagbearer: At his fifth Olympics, it's a first for luge athlete Mark Grimmette, chosen to be the flagbearer for the U.S. team at tonight's opening ceremony.
Grimmette, the fourth American to compete at five Winter Olympics, won the vote of the American delegation Wednesday and will lead the team of 216 U.S. athletes. He was told of the decision by his longtime sliding partner, Brian Martin.
"It's an unbelievable honor," Grimmette, of Muskegon, Mich., and Lake Placid, N.Y., told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. "There's a lot of great men and women on this Olympic team and being chosen to represent them and carry the flag ... it's right up there for me."
Grimmette and Martin teamed to win bronze at the Nagano Games in 1998 and silver at the Salt Lake City Games in 2002.
Hockey player tests positive: A female Russian hockey player was reprimanded but escaped a ban after testing positive for a stimulant in the first doping violation of the Vancouver Olympics.
The IOC Svetlana Terenteva, 26, tested positive Saturday for a "light stimulant" contained in a prescription cold medication. The substance - tuaminoheptane - is banned during competition but not out of competition. It is found in inhalers and nasal sprays.
