Bormio: Vonn gets globe; DH cancelled

BORMIO, Italy — Warm weather and deteriorating course conditions forced the cancellation of the women's downhill at the World Cup Finals on Wednesday, a day after the men's downhill was called off. U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn had already clinched the downhill title, but the cancellation freezes the places of the skiers following her: Austrian veteran Renate Goetschl finished second with 448 points and Canada’s Britt Janyk was third (390). Also for the U.S., Julia Mancuso wound up in seventh place (282).
    “It’s unfortunate, but probably the correct decision,” said Patrick Riml, U.S. women’s head coach. “If we had an accident with the women, having cancelled the men, it would have been very bad."

BORMIO, Italy — Warm weather and deteriorating course conditions forced the cancellation of the women's downhill at the World Cup Finals on Wednesday, a day after the men's downhill was called off. U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn had already clinched the downhill title, but the cancellation freezes the places of the skiers following her: Austrian veteran Renate Goetschl finished second with 448 points and Canada’s Britt Janyk was third (390). Also for the U.S., Julia Mancuso wound up in seventh place (282).
    “It’s unfortunate, but probably the correct decision,” said Patrick Riml, U.S. women’s head coach. “If we had an accident with the women, having cancelled the men, it would have been very bad.”
    Wednesday marked the second straight day that spring-like weather brought the World Cup Finals to a standstill. On Tuesday, the men’s downhill had to be cancelled when officials decided that soft snow on the Stelvio course was not safe enough to hold a training run; World Cup rules require at least one training run for a downhill race.
    The cancellation clinched the downhill title for Switzerland’s Didier Cuche, five points ahead of American Bode Miller, who had hoped for one more chance to reel in his rival. Miller counts the Bormio course as one of his favorites, and had won a World Cup race here earlier in the season.
    As Bode Miller was the previous day, Vonn was disappointed not to be able to race in what is her strongest event, and perhaps put some more distance between herself and her closest pursuers for the overall title. She said the course had seemed reasonable except for the last two or three gates, but didn't second-guess the decision to cancel. "You can't change the weather," she said. "God's going to do what He's going to do." She hoped that conditions would improve enough overnight to allow the men's and women's super G races to take place as scheduled on Thursday.
    Meanwhile, she was enjoying the moment, and her first World Cup globe. She credited her cumulative experience on the World Cup circuit, knowing the courses and, perhaps as importantly, how to ski those courses in the smartest possible way. She said her husband, Thomas Vonn, had been a constant source of support. "I'm a girl, and a little crazy sometimes," she said. "He helps me a lot."
    She pointed out that like everyone else, she makes mistakes on course, "in almost every downhill. I used to see red, get mad, start skiing straight, skiing like a crazy woman, and sometimes ended up in the fence. Now, I know there's a line and you have to ski it. You can't just say you're going to go straight." And she said that by throttling back much of the time to 90 percent instead of constantly going all out, she avoided some of the mistakes she'd made in the past.
    Looking ahead to the rest of the week and her pursuit of the overall World Cup title, a k a "the big globe," she said that it's "such a respected and coveted trophy, I can't even tell you what  it would mean to win it. And if Bode and I were to win it on the same day … The overall is so high up there, it's like an Olympic gold medal." Were both Miller and Vonn to hold on to their overall leads, they would become the first American duo to win the men's and women's titles since Phil Mahre and Tamara McKinney in 1983.

Women's World Cup Downhill
Final Standings (after nine of nine races)

1. Lindsey Vonn, United States, 755 points
2. Renate Goetschl, Austria, 448
3. Britt Janyk, Canada, 390
4. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 331
5. Kelly VanderBeek, Canada, 323
6. Nadia Styger, Switzerland, 303
7. Julia Mancuso, United States, 282
8. Ingrid Jacquemond, France, 228
9. Maria Riesch, Germany, 224
10. Emily Brydon, Canada, 218
11. Elisabeth Goergl, Austria, 215
12. Maria Holaus, Austria, 205
13. Nadia Fanchini, Italy, 164
14. Fraenzi Aufdenblatten, Switzerland, 160
15. Marlies Schild, Austria, 156
Also:
34. Chelsea Marshall, United States, 38
39. Stacey Cook, United States, 26
T45. Libby Ludlow, United States, 8
T45. Leanne Smith, United States, 8
48. Resi Stiegler, United States, 7
T50. Sherry Lawrence, Canada, 5