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Lindsey Vonn is superhuman and her Winter Olympics act of bravery reveals her defining trait

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As Lindsey Vonn was airlifted off the slope at Crans-Montana nine days ago it looked like her hopes of a fourth Olympic medal were over. Those hopes had already looked unlikely a season and a half ago when she made her comeback after six years’ retirement. But she had proved everyone wrong multiple times already; it would be foolish to expect her not to do so again.

The Crans-Montana crash left her with a completely ruptured ACL in her left knee, a bone bruise and meniscus damage. It is only the latest in a litany of broken bones, concussions, and other serious injuries which have punctuated her career.

In her final race before retirement, the world championships downhill in 2019, she wore two knee braces to stabilise a torn lateral collateral ligament, three tibia fractures and a bone bruise. All of that couldn’t prevent her from winning bronze. In the 2013 world championships she tore her ACL and MCL in her right knee and fractured her tibia; later in 2013 she partially tore her right ACL again.

That only skims the surface; the thought of what else she could have achieved without those misfortunes probably keeps her rivals up at night.

And now, with one titanium knee – a knee replacement having fixed the pain that drove her to retire – and one completely destabilised one, she is still going.

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Exactly a week after tearing the ACL she was on the start line for training at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo. She flew down the slope in one minute 40.33 seconds, 11th of 43 finishers, and visibly had more to give.

It was a restrained performance, assessing how the injury felt. “Let’s put it this way, she’s tough,” her coach, Aksel Lund Svindal, said.

And toughness might be Vonn’s single defining trait. More so than her superb athleticism, or her obvious innate talent, it is sheer grit which has carried her through a career dogged at every turn by injury and misfortune.

Toughness was what brought her back to competitive skiing after a six-year retirement. That, and the desire to see just how far she could still go, to push her body and her mind to the absolute limit. This week, that tired sporting cliche is, for once, literal.

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She trained again on Saturday, appearing relaxed as she chatted to teammates beforehand. This time she crossed the line third, 0.37 between teammate and former world champion Breezy Johnson, who set the time to beat.

Lund Svindal said afterwards: “She was very calm when she came down. She didn’t talk about the knee at all. I figured that’s a good sign.”

Asked whether the 41-year-old is in a state to win, he said: “Good enough to win this race, hopefully. But her mental strength, I think that’s why she has won as much as she has.”

Teammate Mikaela Shiffrin, one of only two women more successful at World Cup level than Vonn, concurred: “If anyone can do it, she can do it,” she told the Washington Post this week.

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There has been plenty of armchair diagnosis and dissection of Vonn’s injury this week, but it seems fair to give a woman whose body has repeatedly gone through the wars and still come out the other side, the final say.

Even making it to the start line is a huge physical and mental achievement. Of course Vonn won’t see it like that; she said this week that she is simply “a woman who loves to ski”.

She is here to get a medal, to win, to enjoy one more Olympic Games, on a slope where she has won a record 12 World Cups.

That athlete’s mentality won’t have shifted despite having a knee that is essentially held together by sheer willpower. Competing is impressive; a medal would be astounding.

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Whatever happens on Sunday, Vonn has simply underlined the strength of character which has got her to the top of the sport, and proven once again how far true grit can get you.

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Tim Seifert’s fifty drives New Zealand to five-wicket T20 World Cup win over Afghanistan | Cricket News

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Tim Seifert's fifty drives New Zealand to five-wicket T20 World Cup win over Afghanistan
New Zealand’s Tim Seifert (PTI Photo/R Senthilkumar)

Tim Seifert’s trademark aggression lit up New Zealand’s chase as they secured a five-wicket win over Afghanistan in their Group D clash of the T20 World Cup on Sunday. Chasing 183, Seifert lived up to his ‘Bam Bam’ nickname with a commanding 65 off 42 balls, striking seven fours and three sixes to keep the chase firmly under control. His innings ensured New Zealand crossed the line with minimal fuss despite an early stumble.

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That stumble came courtesy of a brief spell of brilliance from Mujeeb ur Rahman, who removed Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra in consecutive deliveries in the second over, leaving New Zealand reeling at 14 for two. However, Seifert found the perfect ally in Glenn Phillips, and the duo rebuilt with intent. Their 74-run stand for the third wicket, scored in just 47 balls, turned the momentum decisively in New Zealand’s favour. Seifert brought up his half-century from 39 balls with a towering six off Mohammad Nabi, and as the innings progressed, the pitch offered less assistance to the spinners. Phillips took the attack to Rashid Khan, dispatching him for a four and a six as New Zealand surged ahead. Afghanistan did manage late strikes, with Nabi dismissing Seifert and Rashid accounting for Phillips. Seifert, though, made full use of a reprieve on 48 when Rashid put down a return catch. By the time both batters departed, the job was nearly done, and Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner calmly polished off the remaining 28 runs. Earlier, Afghanistan posted 182 for six, a total that felt slightly under-par on a surface with some slowness. Veteran Gulbadin Naib top-scored with a fluent 63 off 35 balls, while Sediqullah Atal contributed 29 in a third-wicket stand of 79 from 51 deliveries. Despite the partnership, Afghanistan’s innings lacked explosive acceleration. Their progress was steady rather than spectacular, reaching 44 for two in the Power Play, 77 for two at halfway and 130 for three after 15 overs. The final five overs yielded 52 runs, but they would have hoped for more. Rahmanullah Gurbaz looked in good touch before Lockie Ferguson’s slower ball shattered his stumps in the sixth over. In the same over, Ferguson also removed Ibrahim Zadran, using his leg-cutters effectively. Naib reached his fifty in just 29 balls and injected momentum by taking on Jacob Duffy with two sixes and a four. Atal supported well but was dismissed by Duffy, a moment that allowed Naib to combine with Darwish Rasooli for a brisk 33-run stand as Afghanistan crossed 150. However, Naib’s dismissal to Rachin Ravindra in the 18th over stalled the late charge. Azmatullah Omarzai struck a couple of sixes at the end to push Afghanistan past 180, but it was not quite enough against a composed New Zealand chase.

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3 Clear signs Seth Rollins is secretly re-forming The Shield with two WWE stars

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The Road to WrestleMania 42 is expected to feature some major returns in WWE, and Seth Rollins could be one of them. The Visionary is currently on hiatus from the sports entertainment juggernaut due to a real-life injury.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that Rollins’ WWE return may happen soon, and that he will compete against Bron Breakker at The Showcase of the Immortals.

However, there are considerable signs indicating Seth Rollins’ incorporation with Grayson Waller and Austin Theory. In this article, we will be looking at three signs that Seth Rollins is secretly re-forming The Shield with Waller and Theory in WWE.


#3. The return of the mystery man in WWE

Grayson Waller was the man in the black hoodie who attacked Bron Breakker at the Royal Rumble. Seth Rollins didn’t make the trip to Saudi Arabia. While many expect Rollins to be the final reveal, it was Waller under the black hoodie on Saturday. (via @HighSpotPodcast)

One of the major signs that Seth Rollins is re-forming The Shield is the return of the mystery man at the Royal Rumble. When the mystery attacker destroyed Bron Breakker before the Rumble match, Paul Heyman shouted Seth Rollins’ name despite his absence from the show.

Latest reports suggest that Grayson Waller could be the person behind that black-hooded figure. Although there is no confirmation, WWE likely wants to link Waller and Rollins through this mystery man angle.

In the upcoming weeks, Grayson could be revealed as the mystery man who attacked the new Big Dog on Seth Rollins’ orders. This could lead to a new faction’s origin on Monday Night RAW, with the group on a mission to end The Vision.

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#2. The connection between Grayson Waller & Austin Theory

Austin Theory is currently a member of The Vision. However, his incorporation into the heel group remains a topic of debate, with fans predicting he is a mole planted by The Visionary.

In late 2023, Rollins and Theory were part of an alliance and worked together. It’s crucial to note that before the A-Town Down star returned as a heel, he was paired with Waller on television.

Soon, Theory disappeared from the company, and WWE announced their breakup in a backstage segment. With Waller’s name seemingly part of the mystery man storyline, it will not be a surprise if Theory and Grayson are secretly reunited and now working for Seth Rollins.


#1. Seth Rollins always has a Plan B

The Architect is the one who betrayed Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose to end The Shield. He joined Triple H’s Authority faction and emerged as one of the major heel stars in World Wrestling Entertainment.

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The history of Seth proves he always has a Plan B. With Bron Breakker and The Vision betraying the former World Heavyweight Champion, he might have Austin Theory and Grayson Waller as part of Plan B.

If that theory is true, it’s a clear sign that Rollins is secretly re-forming The Shield with these two stars.