Vonn ready to defend latest World Cup title

NEW YORK — Lindsey Vonn is in a good place heading into the World Cup season — a "really happy place" as she's fond of calling it.

Collecting hardware: Lindsey Vonn hopes to add more World Cup trophies to her collection this season. AP

Just a year ago, her personal life was turned upside down when she separated from her husband of four years.

Since then, the U.S. skier has put the split behind her and rekindled relationships with teammates. She's also feeling as strong as ever after taking a different training approach this offseason to save wear and tear on her balky left knee.

And sure, defending her overall title this season remains at the top of her to-do list. So is this: eclipsing the 2,000-point plateau after finishing just 20 away last season. She would like nothing more than to join Austrian great Hermann Maier as the only skiers to attain that lofty mark.

"I want to try to improve on what I did last year," Vonn said in an interview from Portillo, Chile, where she's training with the U.S. squad. "That may not be possible. But that's what I'm going to try and do."

In the midst of her personal strife last season, Vonn found solace in the one place that's always been her sanctuary — the slopes. Once she clicked into her skis, Vonn was all business as she captured 12 World Cup races, putting her within striking distance of becoming the all-time winningest female skier. She has 53 career victories, trailing only Annemarie Moser-Proell of Austria (62) and Vreni Schneider of Switzerland (55).

"She has raised the bar as to what is capable for a female ski racer," women's speed coach Chip White said. "The scary thing now is she is showing no signs of slowing down."

What helped last season was having family and friends constantly around, taking her mind off any problems away from the race course. This year, her younger sister, Laura, will take a year off from school and travel around the circuit with her.

"Life is very, very different for me right now," said Vonn, a four-time World Cup overall winner from Vail, Colo. "But I am in a really happy place. This is a new chapter. I'm ready for it."

She wasn't ready for this — intense tabloid speculation.

Vonn is used to making headlines for wins, not over whom she may be dating. It's been a difficult adjustment, especially since most of the rumors have been way off the mark. None more than reports linking her with quarterback Tim Tebow after "Tebowing" following her super-G win in Beaver Creek last December.

"I guess that's a new part of my life, too," she said. "It seems like whoever I'm friends with, people start to think I'm dating them. It's all crazy to me. I'm just happy being single."

By Vonn's standards, this summer was a low-key break from the snow. There were no trips down the red carpet or guest appearances on "Law & Order."

Instead, she traipsed through Europe with her sisters, culminating with a visit to the luxurious beaches in the southern French resort town of Saint Tropez, attended a Rascal Flatts concert in North Carolina and ventured over to London for the Olympics.

While there, she watched Gabby Douglas win the gymnastics all-around, saw Missy Franklin and Michael Phelps capture gold in the pool, caught a few Team USA men's basketball games and was in the stands when her favorite tennis player, Roger Federer, fell in the Olympic final to Andy Murray.

"It's so different when you're actually there to watch — you get to see more emotion," Vonn said. "I actually knew the stories behind all the athletes, instead of just being in my own bubble and focusing on my own competition."

Being there, though, made her antsy for the 2014 Sochi Games.

"I was wondering why I wasn't competing," said Vonn, who captured the Olympic downhill gold medal in Vancouver. "I'm ready to race."

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