Vonn suffers knee injury in super-G crash

(Reuters) - World Cup leader Lindsey Vonn damaged her left knee as she crashed out of Saturday's super-G race in Andorra in a heavy fall and was taken off the slope on a sled after receiving medical attention next to the course. Vonn, chasing her fifth overall World Cup title, was leading by 0.32 seconds when she appeared to lean too far into a turn in the soft snow and slid into the safety fencing. When she failed to get up, medical staff rushed to her aid. The American, who has suffered several knee injuries in her career, later put a message on Instagram saying X-rays showed a hairline fracture. She will have an MRI scan on Monday. "I will wait and see how I feel tomorrow to decide if I can race," Vonn wrote ahead of Sunday's super-combined race at the same venue. She also posted a picture of herself with her leg elevated and her knee wrapped up in a large ice pack. The start of the race in Soldeu was delayed by three hours because of heavy snow and high winds. Winner Federica Brignone of Italy, who started with bib number eight, said she was lucky to get down the shortened course before more snow fell. "When I went down it was really good," Brignone said of the weather after finishing 0.13 seconds ahead of American Laurenne Ross. "It was not the best conditions for the best racers... but I took advantage of my luck." Vonn, who started 16th, was followed down by her biggest rival Lara Gut of Switzerland, who skied a conservative race, finishing 1.15 seconds off the pace, and moved within eight points of Vonn in the overall competition. (Reporting by Clare Fallon; editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)