Ofterschwang, Germany – Vail, Colo.’s Lindsey Vonn produced a scorching final run of giant slalom on Saturday to finish second in spring-like Ofterschwang and boost her Audi FIS Alpine World Cup point total to 1,708.

German Viktoria Rebensburg won for the second straight day under blue skies and temperatures in the 60’s, and leads Vonn in the giant slalom standings by 135 points with two discipline races left on the calendar. With the podium, Vonn became the first skier to produce four World Cup seasons with 15 or more podiums, breaking a tie she held with Austrian great Hermann Maier.

Vonn was 1.68 behind Rebensburg after hitting her face on a gate, which knocked her goggles sideways in the first run.

“This is only my third career giant slalom podium. I’m really proud of the way I skied the second run,” Vonn said, adding that she had difficulty seeing through her askew goggles on the first run and struggled just to reach the bottom. “I was almost 1.70 behind Vicki after the first run so in the second and I knew that my coach has set the second run. He set a course that was open and straighter and I went for the fastest line.  I went for the most direct line possible and risked a lot and was able to make up a lot of time. I was thinking I could maybe get the win when Viki had trouble on the bottom, but she was just too strong today.”

“Lindsey [Vonn] was just full-on gunning,” added Alex Hoedlmoser, the U.S. Ski Team women’s Head Coach. “She never took her foot off the gas in the second run and the course was set for everyone to do that. [Roland] Pfeifer was the course setter for the second run and we just set the course how our girls like it.”

U.S. Teammate Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, Calif.) was seventh after the first run, but went out in the final. Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) was 22nd.

“Julia [Mancuso] knew that section was going to be a little bit tricky and she just said ‘well, I’m just going to go for it’ and it didn’t work out. She just misjudged it a little bit, but she was going for the podium,” Hoedlmoser explained. “That’s what our girls are doing in every race and you can’t blame her for that.”

Vonn’s overall point total is now at 1,708, just 80 shy of personal high mark she set in 2009. The women’s season point record is 1,970 set by Croatian Janica Kostelic in 2006. Men’s is 2,000 set by Maier in 2000.

“I have been thinking about the 2,000 point mark since about the St. Moritz races,” Vonn admitted. “I am not focusing too much on it, but it is definitely in the back of my mind. This year the tech races have been going well and now am second in the giant slalom standings. To me, that is a huge accomplishment.”

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Audi FIS Alpine World Cup
Ofterschwang, Germany – Feb. 3, 2012
Women’s Giant Slalom