Soldeu-Grandvalira, Andorra – Three-time Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn, of Vail, Colo., was hit by gusts of swirling wind on Sunday, yet powered to eighth in the Soldeu World Cup giant slalom. Tessa Worely of France won to overtake the giant slalom points lead as Slovenia’s Tina Maze was second to cut Vonn’s still sizeable overall lead to 410 points with six weeks remaining in the season. Germany’s Maria Hoefl-Riesch was third.

Wind continued to plague the World Cup weekend, Andorra’s first, blowing inconsistently throughout the race and lowering the second run start by 20 seconds. Wind canceled a rescheduled giant slalom that was to take place on Friday.

“It’s not at all what I had in mind when I came here,” Vonn admitted. “I was looking for podiums and the first giant slalom was canceled, I skied out of the slalom and finished eighth here. It’s an obvious disappointment. Unfortunately, I made a really big mistake right in the middle of the course going onto the flat and lost a lot of time.”

Julia Mancuso, of Squaw Valley, Calif. was 16th on Sunday and Eagle, Colo.’s Mikaela Shiffrin 26th for the first World Cup giant slalom pionts of her career.

“It was really windy again today. It was kind of unfair because I knew Liz Goergl got a huge gust of wind just as she went and I’m sure a lot of girls had the same issue,” Shiffrin explained. “But take away the wind and both courses were really awesome – I love the hill. Both the slalom and the giant slalom were really fun.”

Canada’s Marie-Michèle Gagnon, of Lac-Etchemin, Quebec, claimed her second top 10 in as many days and tied her best result of the season with a seventh-place finish. She produced an electric second run to build on an eighth-place result in Saturday’s slalom and continue a hot streak that suggests she is inching closer to her first career World Cup podium.

“I’m totally happy. Two top 10s in a weekend – I always dreamed of that,” said Gagnon. “I was starting 25th today, so I said to myself, ‘Let’s go, let’s attack and see what can happen.’ I’m happy.”

Gagnon’s teammate Marie-Pier Préfontaine, of Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, was 21^st and Erin Mielzynski, of Guelph, Ontario, didn’t qualify for the second run but enjoyed the experience of competing in her first giant slalom World Cup race.

“She was very happy. She had no expectations and she did a good job,” said Hugues Ansermoz, head coach of Canada’s women’s team.

The women’s World Cup tour now moves to Sochi, Russia for a downhill and super combined, which will serve as test events for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The World Cup men raced there this weekend. In addition to the overall, Vonn also leads the downhill, super G and super combined points with Sochi as the final super combined of the season. She now sits in fourth place in the World Cup GS standings.

“I’m really excited to go to Sochi. It’s the first chance we’re going to have to look at the Olympic course,” said Vonn. “I’ve heard a lot of things about it, but I’ve never seen it. It will be my first trip to Russia so I’m really looking forward to getting a good look at the course and hopefully puting down a few good runs on it so I can prepare myself for the Olympics.”

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Audi FIS Alpine World Cup
Soldeu-Grandvalira, Andorra – Feb. 12, 2012
Women’s Giant Slalom