Vonn enjoying underdog role for giant slalom

WHISTLER, British Columbia - Lindsey Vonn likes her new role for today's giant slalom: underdog.

After winning gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G, Vonn doesn't have much in the way of expectations for the giant slalom. That's been her worst event, and the only discipline in which she never has made the podium.

"It feels kind of nice to be the underdog!" she wrote on her Facebook page yesterday.

Vonn's bruised right shin is starting to heal, and she said she "felt pretty good" after two runs of giant slalom training.

"She skied really well, so we'll see how it goes," U.S. women's coach Jim Tracy said. "There are no expectations right now."

Vonn injured her shin during pre-Olympic training Feb. 2 in Austria.

"I think it still bugs her a little bit, but it's definitely a little better," Tracy said.

Vonn's best career giant slalom finish was fourth in Aspen, Colo., near her home in Vail, last season.

This season, Vonn has had trouble with the conditions on giant slalom courses injected with water to create icier surfaces. She blamed inconsistent conditions when she hurt her wrist in a fall in Austria at the end of December.

And though the giant slalom is her weakest race, it also features perhaps her strongest competition. That starts with teammate Julia Mancuso of Squaw Valley, Calif.

Mancuso is the defending Olympic champion, and though she already has won two silver medals at these Games, she hasn't finished better than 13th in a giant slalom this season.

"I'm going to ski on a different pair of skis than I've skied on all year," Mancuso said. "They're just easier to turn, so I'm hoping that's the right decision. I've felt OK this year on my skis but I haven't dialed it in, so why not just go for something different?"

Vonn and Mancuso are far back in the World Cup giant slalom standings, meaning they won't get one of the coveted early start numbers reserved for the higher-ranked skiers.

Other challengers include Denise Karbon of Italy, who won four consecutive giant slaloms in 2007-08; Tanja Poutiainen of Finland, who was the silver medalist behind Mancuso four years ago and giant slalom world champion Kathrin Hoelzl of Germany.