Setting records: The story of Lindsey Vonn’s victory in Zauchensee

By Published On: January 9th, 2016Comments Off on Setting records: The story of Lindsey Vonn’s victory in Zauchensee

Between Lindsey Vonn’s previous 35 downhill wins, her rare experience previously running a two-run sprint downhill and her 2011 victory at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, Vonn came into Saturday’s World Cup race with a strong case for victory. She won in front of 6,200 awestricken spectators – proving she’ll continue her crusade as the winningest woman in World Cup history and tying Annemarie Moser-Proell of Austria for most career downhill wins.

What unique circumstances for Vonn to reach that milestone in a two-run sprint downhill unlike most fans have ever seen. She skied smooth and fast to nearly a one-second lead in the first run.

“With two runs, I figured if I was behind in the first run, I could you know maybe ski a little more aggressively in the second, but I think my tactic is just ski the same exact way in the second run,” Vonn indicated between runs.

ALTENMARKT,AUSTRIA,09.JAN.16 - ALPINE SKIING - FIS World Cup, Zauchensee, downhill, ladies. Image shows Lindsey Vonn (USA) Photo: GEPA pictures/ Andreas PranterHer plan for consistency – something that is arguably part of her DNA as a racer – worked out once again. And it was to her benefit in the hunt for the overall title that current points leader Lara Gut skied out in the opening run. 

“Second run, I was a little bit more conservative because I knew I had a big lead, and I knew that everyone was having trouble with the bumps, so I just tried to ski relaxed and it worked,” she said. 

Vonn added that it’s incredible to be tied with Annemarie Moser-Proell for another record, who she described as a legend. She’s taking the excitement into the super G and the return of traditional one-run speed competitions. 

“I like the format … I did it once before in Are (Sweden) in 2002, which was a long time ago, but it’s interesting. I think it’s a good option if there’s bad weather or we don’t have enough snow. I think it’s better to have a sprint downhill than no downhill at all. But, to be honest, I think the classic downhill is better, mostly because I can sleep in,” Vonn said, getting a chuckle at the press conference.

ALTENMARKT,AUSTRIA,09.JAN.16 - ALPINE SKIING - FIS World Cup, Zauchensee, downhill, ladies, award ceremony. Image shows Larisa Yurkiw (CAN). Photo: GEPA pictures/ Christian WalgramLarisa Yurkiw, an independent Canadian skier who works in cooperation with Germany, Sweden and Norway on race days, repeated a career-best finish of second place for the day.

“I think I made a lot of mistakes, but I’d way rather have a run that I’m making mistakes and trying than ski a little bit safer and more conservative and then be top 10 or something,” Yurkiw said. “It’s just not my style.”

Rounding out the podium under worsening conditions was Cornelia Huetter, earning her fourth podium of the season by finishing in third place.

“The second run was so hard and the visibility was so bad, and it was really bumpy and it was more out of control skiing, but I hoped that, yeah, I am on the podium and I am really happy about it,” she said, after surviving the course twice that took out top skiers like Gut and also Tina Weirather of Lichtenstein.

While Gut and Weirather escaped uninjured, Lotte Sejestersted of Norway had to be helicoptered off the course during first run after a massive crash. She reportedly tore the ACL and MCL in her left knee and will return home to Norway for surgery.

There were a few Americans in addition to Vonn who were able to put the hammer down. Stacey Cook made the first page of the results, coming in eighth place, while teammates Laurenne Ross and Alice McKennis came in 18th and 26th, respectively.

The racing continues tomorrow with super G, where Vonn will look for her first win at this replacement venue while Gut will seek to repeat her win from 2011. The first racer kicks out of the gate at 11:30 a.m. CET.

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The Scoop
by Hank McKee

  1. Vonn, Head/Head/Head
  2. Yurkiw, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
  3. Huetter, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker
  4. Kling, Head/Head/Head
  5. Schmidhofer, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
  6. Rebensburg, Stoeckli/Tecnica/Atomic
  7. Bailet, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon 
  8. Cook, Stoeckli/Lange/Atomic
  9. Goergl, Head/Head/Head
  10. Marsaglia, Volkl/Fischer/Marker
  • Women’s World Cup sprint downhill (two runs) Zauchensee, Austria, Jan. 9, 2016. … It is the 16th of 41 races on the women’s schedule and a replacement race for the downhill originally scheduled at St. Anton and cancelled due to a lack of snow. … It is the fifth of nine scheduled downhills for the women. … It is the 29th World Cup race hosted by Altenmarkt-Zauchensee … the 13th downhill and first sprint downhill.
  • It is the 72nd World Cup victory for Lindsey Vonn, extending the all-time record for women and closing in on Stenmark’s all-time mark of 86 wins. … It is her 36th downhill win, matching Annemarie Moser-Proell’s all-time mark. … It is her fifth win of the season and third in downhill. … It is the 295th U.S. World Cup victory.
  • Larisa Yurkiw matches her career best from Cortina, also in downhill, Jan. 16 of last season. … It is her third career podium placing, and second of the season after a third in Val d’Isere Dec. 19.
  • It is the fifth career podium for Cornelia Huetter, her fourth third-place result, and her third podium in downhill. … It is her fourth podium of the season in six completed races.
  • It is the 23rd career World Cup top 10 for Stacey Cook … her second of the season. … It is the sixth scoring result of the season for Laurenne Ross, the third best of the season. … It is the fourth scoring result of the season for Alice McKennis, all in downhill.
  • Lara Gut (DNF 1st) holds World Cup overall standings lead 658-600 over Vonn. … Frida Hansdotter (did not race) is third overall with 521pts. … Mikaela Shiffrin (did not race) is ninth overall with 296pts. 
  • Vonn leads the downhill standings 300-250 over Huetter. … Fabienne Suter (did not race) is third with 200pts. … Cook is eighth at 116pts. 
  • Austria leads the women’s Nations Cup standings 2043-1558 over Switzerland. … Italy is third with 1426pt and the U.S. fourth at 1302. … Canada is eighth with 525pts.

Official Results

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Run 1 Run 2 Total Time Diff. FIS Points
 1  17  537544 VONN Lindsey 1984 USA  1:04.94  1:06.23  2:11.17  0.00
 2  22  106849 YURKIW Larisa 1988 CAN  1:05.85  1:06.32  2:12.17  +1.00  9.53
 3  19  56128 HUETTER Cornelia 1992 AUT  1:05.92  1:06.91  2:12.83  +1.66  15.82
 4  8  505886 KLING Kajsa 1988 SWE  1:06.17  1:07.05  2:13.22  +2.05  19.54
 5  15  55970 SCHMIDHOFER Nicole 1989 AUT  1:06.20  1:07.08  2:13.28  +2.11  20.11
 6  16  205218 REBENSBURG Viktoria 1989 GER  1:06.44  1:07.26  2:13.70  +2.53  24.11
 7  1  196968 BAILET Margot 1990 FRA  1:06.62  1:07.10  2:13.72  +2.55  24.30
 8  12  537582 COOK Stacey 1984 USA  1:06.21  1:07.61  2:13.82  +2.65  25.25
 9  20  55576 GOERGL Elisabeth 1981 AUT  1:06.71  1:07.31  2:14.02  +2.85  27.16
 10  25  297702 MARSAGLIA Francesca 1990 ITA  1:06.79  1:07.37  2:14.16  +2.99  28.49
 11  4  56088 TIPPLER Tamara 1991 AUT  1:06.66  1:07.58  2:14.24  +3.07  29.26
 12  23  516319 SUTER Corinne 1994 SUI  1:06.84  1:07.46  2:14.30  +3.13  29.83
 13  5  565360 STUHEC Ilka 1990 SLO  1:06.70  1:07.63  2:14.33  +3.16  30.11
 14  7  296729 FANCHINI Nadia 1986 ITA  1:06.58  1:07.76  2:14.34  +3.17  30.21
 15  10  296008 MERIGHETTI Daniela 1981 ITA  1:06.44  1:07.92  2:14.36  +3.19  30.40
 16  9  296472 FANCHINI Elena 1985 ITA  1:06.85  1:07.59  2:14.44  +3.27  31.16
 17  13  245066 MIKLOS Edit 1988 HUN  1:07.07  1:07.46  2:14.53  +3.36  32.02
 18  14  538573 ROSS Laurenne 1988 USA  1:06.52  1:08.15  2:14.67  +3.50  33.35
 19  33  516185 HAEHLEN Joana 1992 SUI  1:07.42  1:07.28  2:14.70  +3.53  33.64
 20  28  297910 CURTONI Elena 1991 ITA  1:06.97  1:07.82  2:14.79  +3.62  34.50
 21  52  56224 MAIER Sabrina 1994 AUT  1:06.59  1:08.29  2:14.88  +3.71  35.35
 21  6  425929 MOWINCKEL Ragnhild 1992 NOR  1:06.47  1:08.41  2:14.88  +3.71  35.35
 23  31  296427 SCHNARF Johanna 1984 ITA  1:07.48  1:07.72  2:15.20  +4.03  38.40
 24  40  197615 BESSY Anouk 1995 FRA  1:07.36  1:08.13  2:15.49  +4.32  41.17
 25  42  155563 KRIZOVA Klara 1989 CZE  1:07.46  1:08.12  2:15.58  +4.41  42.03
 26  2  538685 MCKENNIS Alice 1989 USA  1:07.37  1:08.26  2:15.63  +4.46  42.50
Did not qualify for 2nd run
 57  465098 CAILL Ania Monica 1995 ROU
 56  115115 BARAHONA Noelle 1990 CHI
 55  6535600 MERRYWEATHER Alice 1996 USA
 54  516359 SCALVEDI Beatrice 1995 SUI
 53  196928 WORLEY Tessa 1989 FRA
 51  206520 DORSCH Patrizia 1994 GER
 50  206668 WEIDLE Kira 1996 GER
 49  197641 GAUCHE Laura 1995 FRA
 47  565333 BRODNIK Vanja 1989 SLO
 46  206548 MAGG Ann Katrin 1994 GER
 45  107613 GRENIER Valerie 1996 CAN
 44  485631 YAKOVISHINA Elena 1992 RUS
 43  516219 NUFER Priska 1992 SUI
 41  6535455 JOHNSON Breezy 1996 USA
 39  299276 BASSINO Marta 1996 ITA
 38  516145 KUENG Mirena 1988 SUI
 37  197497 MIRADOLI Romane 1994 FRA
 35  55759 KIRCHGASSER Michaela 1985 AUT
 34  375018 COLETTI Alexandra 1983 MON
 30  197295 PIOT Jennifer 1992 FRA
 29  296431 STUFFER Verena 1984 ITA
 26  539536 WILES Jacqueline 1992 USA
 24  56177 VENIER Stephanie 1993 AUT
Did not finish 2nd run
 36  55913 MOSER Stefanie 1988 AUT
 21  355050 WEIRATHER Tina 1989 LIE
 11  56125 PUCHNER Mirjam 1992 AUT
 3  56087 SIEBENHOFER Ramona 1991 AUT
Did not finish 1st run
 48  56336 DENGSCHERZ Dajana 1996 AUT
 32  298323 GOGGIA Sofia 1992 ITA
 27  425880 SEJERSTED Lotte Smiseth 1991 NOR
 18  516138 GUT Lara 1991 SUI

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About the Author: Gabbi Hall

A California native, Gabbi moved to Vermont to ski on the NCAA circuit for St. Michael’s College, where she served as team captain and studied journalism. Before joining Ski Racing, she worked as a broadcast TV producer and social media manager in higher education. She can be reached via email at gabbi@skiracing.com