Worlds: How Vonn wins

Lindsey Vonn is rapidly becoming the consummate professional ski racer. The tall blond, who became a World Champion in super G earlier this week, didn’t get there by accident. It was hard work, tactical planning, and executing. You can hear her methodology by listening to what she says in virtually every interview.

Lindsey Vonn is rapidly becoming the consummate professional ski racer. The tall blond, who became a World Champion in super G earlier this week, didn’t get there by accident. It was hard work, tactical planning, and executing. You can hear her methodology by listening to what she says in virtually every interview.

Vonn easily had the best time in today’s training run, pointed out,  “today I was just trying to relax and execute the line.” And execute she did, posting a time of 1:18.65, the fastest of the day.

The detail and focus reveals itself when she discusses how her coaches and her husband, former U. S. team member Thomas Vonn, analyze each section with a micro perspective.

 

That attention to detail worked in the super G where Thomas pointed out that staying high and losing speed on an upper middle section would keep her from being bounced around and would ultimately prove faster. That comment helped earn her gold.

Line was just as important in today’s training run.

In a section called the corkscrew – starting out with a 120 degree left footer into a sharp drop and hard right footer – most competitors were getting thrown to the outside of the bottom turn over a very rough, bumpy piece of terrain. The bumps threw Italy’s Nadia Fanchini into the red room. Most others just lost time.

In contrast Vonn hurtled though the left footer solidly then took a much higher tighter line, seemingly 10 to 12 feet inside the line of all of the racers who had preceded her. Her track was both faster and much less bumpy. It showed in her time which was .38 in front of Marie Marchand-Arvier, the French racer who took silver in the Super G.

Vonn’s time was inconsequential, however, as she stood up in the finish schuss, meandering back and forth across the hill.

“I wanted to execute that section well,” Vonn said. “It felt like I did.”

What goes unsaid is why she can execute a section so well. In large part it comes down to strength. Vonn is a stickler for being strong, perhaps stronger than anyone else on the ladies circuit. Her work ethic is among the highest on the team.

She also knows that it will be different in Friday’s super-combined race.

“If I have a good clean run, if I execute the line, I can usually be near the top,” Vonn says. “World championships are a little more difficult because everyone is attacking because you only have one race, one chance,” She adds. “Tomorrow if I have two clean runs, perhaps I can reach the podium.”

With her attention to detail, tactical race preparation and the backing of a team of coaches, trainers and her husband, Vonn is poised for more success. If she executes, she would tell you.