Lake Louise (AB), Canada –American ski racer Lindsey Vonn rocketed to her second Audi FIS Alpine World Cup downhill win in as many days Saturday to notch the 44th victory of her career and 10th in Lake Louise.

French racer Marie Marchand-Arvier was second with 2011 downhill World Champion Elisabeth Goergl of Austria in third. The decisive 1.68 second victory was the second largest margin of victory in her career following the blistering 1.95 gap she put on the rest of the World Cup field Friday in the opening Winterstart race in Lake Louise.

“It was tough conditions again today with really flat light and it was hard to see the bumps. It was a tough day and I’m really happy to come away with the win,” said Vonn. “The first race I ever had here, I think it was a super G and I almost landed in the top three, but I crashed a few gates before the finish. I’ve always had a good connection here with the snow and the way the mountain runs. I just love racing in Lake Louise. I come here knowing that I’ve won in the past and it gives me a lot of confidence. Its just a great way to start the speed season. I feel that if I start well here then it will carry through the season. Last year I didn’t have as good of a start so this year, I just wanted to come out strong. Having back-to-back wins is certainly a good sign.”

With Saturday’s win Vonn, of Vail, Colo., has stood on the top of the podium in three of the four World Cup races she’s started this season including a giant slalom victory on the opening World Cup event in Soelden, Austria.  It propelled her into the overall World Cup standings lead by 42 points over Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, who finished fourth for a second straight day.

Fellow Americans Stacey Cook (Mammoth, Calif.) finished ninth, Leanne Smith (North Conway, N.H.) 11th, Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, Calif.) 23rd and Chelsea Marshall (Pittsfield, Vt.) 26th as five Americans landed in the top 30 — and in the World Cup points — for the second straight day. Laurenne Ross, of Klamath Falls, Ore., crashed into the net during her run and suffered cuts to her face but was reportedly otherwise OK.

“I’m really sorry for Laurenne, just such a great skier, plus a really amazing athlete and person,” said Vonn. “I heard that she’s OK, but we’re all thinking about her.”

Canada’s young hopefuls, Tess Davies, 20, of Canmore, Alberta, and Sarah Freeman, 19, from Pincher Creek, Alberta, finished 50^th and 51^st, respectively, on the day.

“I got a little more rattled and just in a little bit of the wrong position,” said Freeman, who crossed the line in 1:59.41. “I still had some good turns, but I don’t know…Yesterday I felt a lot better. I learned (this week) that you have to ski your hardest, to even put one even close (to the contenders). They’re incredible, but it’s kind of cool because it showed me there’s a long way to go and I still have to learn about skiing, which excites me.”

Davies struggled in the tricky Fall Away section where she fell twice earlier in the week, but the women’s Canadian Prospect Training Group member managed to stay on her feet and finished in 1:59.30.

“I just didn’t want to fall over again, so I stuck the hands forward and said, ‘Go,’ ” said Davies, a former Raymond James Alberta Ski Team member. “I hung on to it, for sure, and a World Cup finish is still a World Cup finish. At this point, I just need the experience and if it’s another 10 turns on the track, it’s worth it.”

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup
Lake Louise, AB, Canada – Winterstart Women’s Downhill 2
Dec. 5, 2011