Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – Colorado’s Lindsey Vonn put down a near flawless super G run on Monday to win her 63rd Audi FIS Ski World Cup and etch her name into the record books as the winningest women’s World Cup ski racer ever.
Skiing at the end of the top seed in the 22nd start position, Vonn, 30, took command from the start and posted a .85-second margin over Austria’s Anna Fenninger. Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein was third.
Monday’s race capped a tumultuous weekend of ski racing in the 1956 Olympic city of Cortina. Race organizers got in a downhill shortened by fog with light snow on Friday in which Vonn finished only 10th. Host country Italy had its day with Elena Fanchini taking the win by .15 over Canada’s Larisa Yirkiw. Viktoria Rebensberg of Germany was third, with Bend, Ore.’s Laurenne Ross finishing just off the podium in fourth.
After heavy snow dumped on the Dolomites and forced a cancellation of Saturday’s scheduled downhill, organizers successfully staged a downhill on Sunday, won by Vonn to tie Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell’s World Cup win record at 62, set between 1970 and 1980. Vonn took the early lead on the Olympia delle Tofane course, coming off a steep face into a band of fog and kept it through the finish, building continually down the course on which she had won seven times previously. It was the same day on which 11 years ago a 19-year-old then-Lindsey Kildow scored her first World Cup podium, finishing third in the Cortina downhill.
Monday’s win put Vonn at 63 victories, finally surpassing Moser-Proell’s tally.
“It’s amazing—words can’t describe my feeling,” said Vonn. “Sixty-three feels incredible. I’m really proud of what I’ve done and I’m excited about the future.”
Vonn skied relaxed and tactically strong on Monday, the weight of tying the record off her shoulders after Sunday’s downhill win.
“I definitely felt like the pressure was off today. I just wanted to go out and have a good run,” she said. “I was relaxed and cool and I think it showed in my skiing. I honestly didn’t know if I would be fast enough. I made some mistakes. I was shocked I was in the lead but very, very happy.”
The win boosted Vonn into fourth in the overall Audi FIS Ski World Cup standings, behind Mikaela Shiffrin who is in third. Vonn moved into third in super G and continues to lead the downhill standings.
Four Americans cracked the top-30 points on Monday, including Julia Mancuso, of Squaw Valley, Calif., in 12th.
While not to diminish Vonn’s accomplishment, it should be noted that she has started nearly double the number of World Cup races as Moser-Proell. Many of Vonn’s wins came in super G, which wasn’t added to the World Cup racing calendar until 1983. Additionally, World Cup titles for combined were awarded only in 1980 and 1976, when Moser-Proell took a family leave from the racing circuit.
Vonn’s parents, sister and boyfriend Tiger Woods surprised her in the finish area. Woods, concealing his identity with a skull mask, received a surprise himself when he lost a tooth when throngs of reporters enveloped Vonn following her winning run.
“To have Tiger here at this race on this occasion was really special for me,” Vonn said. “Everyone important to me is here. ”
Monday’s record-breaking win also places Vonn second behind Ingemar Stenmark (86) in the overall World Cup wins standings, both men and women. Vonn is also the only American woman to have captured downhill gold at the Olympics and the only American woman with four Alpine World Cup overall titles.
“Lindsey’s tireless work ethic and determination in rehabilitating her knee, getting back into top physical condition and returning to ski racing even stronger and better than before has been truly inspiring as one of the greatest comeback stories of all time,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts, which sponsors Vonn. “Lindsey’s commitment to excellence and always pushing herself to the next level is a true reflection of the spirit of Vail. We couldn’t be more proud to support Lindsey and look forward to celebrating this historical moment with her when she’s back in her hometown of Vail for the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships.”
The Audi FIS Ski World Cup tour now heads to St. Moritz, Switzerland for a downhill and super G this weekend, the final event before the naming of the U.S. World Championships team on January 28.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
Women’s Downhill – Jan. 16, 2015
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FANCHINI Elena | ITA | 1:09.53 |
| 2 | YURKIW Larisa | CAN | 1:09.68 |
| 3 | REBENSBURG Viktoria | GER | 1:09.84 |
| 4 | ROSS Laurenne | USA | 1:09.87 |
| 5 | FENNINGER Anna | AUT | 1:10.11 |
| 6 | KLING Kajsa | SWE | 1:10.14 |
| 7 | MERIGHETTI Daniela | ITA | 1:10.16 |
| 8 | SUTER Fabienne | SUI | 1:10.28 |
| 8 | MANCUSO Julia | USA | 1:10.28 |
| 10 | VONN Lindsey | USA | 1:10.41 |
Women’s Downhill – Jan. 18, 2015
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VONN Lindsey | USA | 1:39.61 |
| 2 | GOERGL Elisabeth | AUT | 1:39.93 |
| 3 | MERIGHETTI Daniela | ITA | 1:40.15 |
| 4 | FANCHINI Elena | ITA | 1:40.38 |
| 5 | MAZE Tina | SLO | 1:40.56 |
| 6 | GISIN Dominique | SUI | 1:40.58 |
| 7 | SCHNARF Johanna | ITA | 1:40.69 |
| 8 | GUT Lara | SUI | 1:40.81 |
| 9 | ROSS Laurenne | USA | 1:40.83 |
| 9 | FENNINGER Anna | AUT | 1:40.83 |
Women’s Downhill – Jan. 19, 2015
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VONN Lindsey | USA | 1:27.03 |
| 2 | FENNINGER Anna | AUT | 1:27.88 |
| 3 | WEIRATHER Tina | LIE | 1:27.95 |
| 4 | HUETTER Cornelia | AUT | 1:28.02 |
| 4 | MAZE Tina | SLO | 1:28.02 |
| 6 | GUT Lara | SUI | 1:28.19 |
| 7 | KLING Kajsa | SWE | 1:28.30 |
| 8 | FANCHINI Nadia | ITA | 1:28.60 |
| 8 | GOERGL Elisabeth | AUT | 1:28.60 |
| 10 | HOSP Nicole | AUT | 1:28.92 |