Lindsey Vonn pronounced herself "ready for Sochi" after finishing fifth in the Super G in Lake Louise, Alberta on Sunday.
"I know I can win," Tiger Woods girlfriend told USA TODAY Sports just three weeks after partially tearing her already surgically repaired right knee. After nerves seemingly got the better of her on Friday when she placed 40th in her first race in more than ten months, Vonn was noticeably more aggressive as the weekend wore on.
The defending downhill Olympic champion told USA TODAY she now plans to compete in up to two more World Cups before the Olympics.
"I want to make sure I at least get on the podium once, if not win before going into Sochi," she said. "For me mentally I really want to have that in my back pocket."
The next World Cup stop is in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Dec. 13. The Sochi Games commence on Feb. 12 in Russia.
"I know that I'm skiing well so I don't need to push myself and push the limits to race as many races for Sochi," Vonn told the newspaper. "I'm ready for Sochi. I don't need to do a lot, just a couple more starts. But I really want to focus on Sochi and take the risk away from any long-term damage on my knee."
In the wake of her Sunday finish, Vonn was asked how rewarding she found it to finish fifth without the most important knee ligament a skier is thought to need.
"Skiing with not very much ACL left is pretty hardcore, so I give myself a little bit of credit, but the fight's not over," she told the newspaper. " I have a lot more to do and I'm just going to keep working hard and I'm not going to give up and I'm going to be in Sochi, fighting for my medal."
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