Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – American ski racer Lindsey Vonn dominated Sunday’s Cortina super G to notch the 47th Audi FIS Alpine World Cup win of her career and launch ahead of Austrian great Renate Goetschl to stand alone at third on the women’s all-time win list.and Slovenia’s Tina Maze was third.

“It was tough to get the confidence back after my races in Bad Kleinkirchheim last weekend, but now with a first and a second here in Cortina, everything is going the right way and I couldn’t be happier,” said Vonn. “Cortina is a very special place for me. It’s where I got my first World Cup podium and I’ve always had success here, so I was really trying hard today and risking a lot. My run was a good combination of risk and aggression, but I still stayed in control. The high speed made it more challenging than normal. I was on the limit the entire race.”

It was Vonn’s fourth consecutive super G victory in Cortina and sixth win at the Italian resort. Julia Mancuso, of Squaw Valley, Calif., was fifth and North Conway, N.H.’s Leanne Smith 10th as the U.S. Ski Team captured the Cortina Trophy, recognizing the most successful nation over the two-day race series. Oregon’s Laurenne Ross finished 13th while Stacey Cook, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., finished 26th.

“I’m really proud and happy to be a part of this team. We had an incredible weekend,” said Vonn. “Stacey [Cook], Julia [Mancuso], Leanne [Smith] and Laurenne [Ross] are skiing so well right now. For the entire U.S. Ski Team, Cortina was very successful.”

“We’ve put in a lot of hard work. Not just the athletes, but the coaching staff as well,” added Alex Hoedlmoser, the U.S. Ski Team women’s Head Coach. “We were a little bit dissapointed  in the super G in Bad Kleinkirchheim becuase we didn’t really perform up to our expectations. It wasn’t a really bad result, but we get pretty used to winning and being on the podium.

“We definitely wanted to make a statement today and the whole team actually stepped it up. It was really cool to see.”

Still ahead of Vonn in the women’s all-time win list are Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Proell (62) and Switzerland’s Vreni Schneider (55). Vonn now leads the overall standings by 291 points over Maze, and leads the super G standings by 87 over Fabienne Suter of Switzerland.

“The records in skiing are really important to me. It’s the history of our sport and it’s something you can look back on and be proud of what you’ve done with your career,” said a proud Vonn. “I never thought that I’d be able to reach as many victories as I have now. Renate [Goetschl] has always been such a role model. I can’t believe I’m at a point where I can stand alongside her in history.”

The women’s World Cup now moves to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia for a giant slalom and a slalom next weekend. The U.S. women will prepare at their Official European Training Base of Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, Austria to prepare for Kranjska Gora.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Audi FIS Alpine World Cup
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – Jan. 15, 2012
Women’s Super G