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Headline RSS FeedVail's Vonn wraps up season super-G title with 9th WC win Sunday in St. Moritz
January 31, 2010 —
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland – In her last race before the Vancouver Olympics, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) won her third consecutive Audi FIS Alpine World Cup super G to lock up her second straight discipline title Sunday in Switzerland.
"I skied aggressively and that's exactly what I wanted to do, not only for today, but also to give me confidence going into Vancouver," Vonn said.
With 440 points to 220 for Swiss Fabienne Suter, the two-time defending overall champion assumes an insurmountable lead in the discipline with only two events remaining on the World Cup calendar post Olympics.
"It's nice to have it out of the way," said U.S. Women's Head Coach Jim Tracy. "None of us gave that any thought whatsoever today. Lindsey didn't even realize it. Still, it's nice to get a crystal globe at the end of January."
A bigger motivation for Vonn was missing the podium in downhill for the first time in seven straight tries Saturday, when a late mistake cost her time and she took fifth.
"It goes back to the last race a bit," Tracy said. "She was a little disappointed, she could have won if it wasn't for that bobble, so she came out today and let her rip."
"I think I bounced back pretty strong," Vonn said. "I just stayed positive. I didn't give up and I fought hard."
Vonn's ninth win of the season ties her own American record and leaves her one short of Bode Miller's still-active mark for most wins by a U.S. skier (32). Vonn also expanded her overall lead to 137 points over Germany's Maria Riesch.
"Every year I try to improve myself," Vonn said. "Last year I had nine wins, and this year I have nine with a few more speed races to go, so I'm definitely doing good things and I'm really happy about it."
With the World Cup on hiatus until after Vancouver, the speed team will take a day off before starting their pre-Olympic prep at their European Training Base in Kaprun, Austria, while the technical group will return stateside.
"Everybody needs a break," Tracy said. "To go away with everybody healthy is really important."
The women's team will arrive in Vancouver Feb. 9 with the opening event on Sunday, Feb. 14 with the Olympic super combined.
Fans can watch today's race on-demand at UniversalSports.com.
The Audi documentary, "Truth in Motion: The U.S. Ski Team's Road to Vancouver" which featured Ligety and aired on NBC Saturday night is now available for download on iTunes.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 AUDI FIS WORLD CUP
St. Moritz, Switzerland - Jan. 31, 2010
Women's Super G
1. Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 1:01.77
T-2. Andrea Fischbacher, Austria, 1:01.94
T-2. Marie Marchand-Arvier, France, 1:01.94
4. Fabienne Suter, Switzerland, 1:01.98
5. Tina Maze, Slovenia, 1:02.00
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12. Julia Mancuso, Olympic Valley, CA, 1:02.57
25. Stacey Cook, Mammoth Mountain, CA, 1:03.06
29. Leanne Smith, Conway, NH, 1:03.12
32. Chelsea Marshall, Pittsfield, VT, 1:03.30
33. Megan McJames, Park City, UT, 1:03.36
42. Alice McKennis, Glenwood Springs, CO, 1:03.90
48. Keely Kelleher, Big Sky, MT, 1:04.60
Ligety ripping slalom before straddling
KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia (Jan. 31) - In a good position to peak at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, gold medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) was on his way to a top five Audi FIS Alpine World Cup slalom finish Sunday, before later jury review showed a straddled gate, disqualifying the World Cup giant slalom leader from the race.
"It was a nice little confidence builder, I'm pretty happy with it," Ligety said of his second run, the third fastest before the DQ. "I've been skiing well in slalom. I've been fast. My current results just haven't shown it."
Nearing the finish of his second run, Ligety fell behind on a small flush and a bump sent him into a gate, nixing what would have been his best slalom finish since Schladming, Austria, in 2008.
Ligety sat 10th after the first run despite sliding wide about 10 gates from the finish and losing much of his speed.
"His form in slalom is good," said men's Technical Head Coach Rudi Soulard. "He has been fast in a couple of races. He made a big mistake today on the first run and a little one on the second. Hopefully the next slalom is a good one."
The current giant slalom standings leader said he is glad to take a break from the demanding World Cup circuit, where he pulls double duty with the technical and speed teams.
"It's nice to be able to come back," Ligety said ahead of training at the pre-Olympic camp in Park City. "It's always nice to be able to train on my home mountain."
To sweeten the deal even further, Vancouver is less than a three-hour flight away from his hometown – and a whole lot further for many of his competitors.
"It's a home Olympics, really," he said. "It's nice to take the Euros out of their element."
Fans can watch Sunday's race, the final before the Olympics, at UniversalSports.com.
The Audi documentary, "Truth in Motion: The U.S. Ski Team's Road to Vancouver" which featured Ligety and aired on NBC Saturday night is now available for download on iTunes.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 AUDI FIS WORLD CUP
Kranjska Gora, Slovenia - Jan. 31, 2010
Men's Slalom
1. Reinfried Herbst, Austria, 1:45.35
2. Marcel Hirscher, Austria, 1:45.75
3. Julien Lizeroux, France, 1:45.88
4. Felix Neureuther, Germany, 1:46.04
5. Silvan Zurbriggen, Switzerland, 1:46.17
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DQ 2 – Ted Ligety, Park City, UT
DNF 1 – Nolan Kasper, Warren, VT; Will Brandenburg, Spokane, WA; Jimmy Cochran, Keene, NH
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