From Tom Kelly of the U.S. Ski Team:

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) made history winning her second World Championships gold Monday at the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Val d'Isere. Vonn talked to journalists about her day and the accomplishment.

Your goal was to get one gold medal, now you have two.
It's incredible. I was just looking for one gold medal and got that in the super G. I was looking for a medal in the super combined and it didn't work out so it made me hungrier

Just like the super G, I raced with my heart. I raced well. I had good tactics, especially on the bottom where girls were losing time.

I'm so happy. It's been an incredible World Championships for me. I hope things continue to go well.

Is it hard for you to be in the same company as great heroes like Andrea Mead Lawrence, Gretchen Fraser and others?
It's really weird. I just feel honored to be with those great ski legends. I don't picture myself among such great skiers. I'm still just trying to ski my best everyday. I feel like I'm breaking a lot of records, but I'm just out doing my job and I love what I'm doing. I'll just keep working hard to do as well as I can.

The downhill is really your event, isn't it?
Downhill is my favorite event, it always has been since I met Picabo Street. She always inspired me. For some reason I've always been drawn to the speed, the adrenaline, the rush of it all. It's an amazing discipline. I've always wanted to win at a big event and I feel like it's a big breakthrough for me. I was able to do it despite being nervous. My husband and I really worked through it. I'm going to take what I learned today to the Olympics and hopefully I'll be able to do well there.

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From the U.S. Ski Team:

Double World Champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) is expected to compete again this week in the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Val d'Isere after having surgery on her right thumb Tuesday at Privatklinik Hochrum near Innsbruck, Austria.

According to U.S. Ski Team Medical Director Richard Quincy, Vonn had surgery to repair a tendon in her right thumb. The surgery was performed by Dr. Christian Fink of Privatklinik Hochrum. The U.S. Ski Team's Dr. Jeff Harrison accompanied Vonn. She will remain overnight in Austria and return to Val d'Isere Wednesday.

"The surgery went fine and we're appreciative of the care she had from Dr. Fink and Privatklinik Hochrum," said Quincy. "She will have a splint and should be able to grip her ski pole. We anticipate she will be ready to compete in Saturday's slalom and possibly the giant slalom Thursday."

"Everything went really well and I couldn't be more thankful for the care that I've received," said Vonn, who has captured gold medals in super G and downhill in Val d'Isere. "The support from my fans has been awesome. I'm looking forward to returning to Worlds and challenging for another medal."

Vonn injured the thumb Monday evening opening a bottle of champagne at a victory celebration. She was treated by Dr. Harrison at the Team hotel. She flew to Innsbruck Tuesday for a detailed examination and the followup surgery.