Vonn wins at Lake Louise for record fifth time

Lindsey Vonn owns Lake Louise. Her convincing win today (by more than half a second) was her third straight downhill won on the course and she has eclipsed the win record she shared with Italian ace Isolde Kostner’s with a total of five.

“It’s amazing,” she agrees. “It’s awesome to have a feeling like I have on this hill. I know it so well. It seemed like such a short time ago that I was going for three wins here and now I’ve been able to win five.”

On the surface it seems easy, but the fact of the matter an incoming storm made it anything but. As winds picked up race officials bumped the start down the hill. It was snowing and the light was characteristically flat.

Lindsey Vonn owns Lake Louise. Her convincing win today (by more than half a second) was her third straight downhill won on the course and she has eclipsed the win record she shared with Italian ace Isolde Kostner’s with a total of five.

“It’s amazing,” she agrees. “It’s awesome to have a feeling like I have on this hill. I know it so well. It seemed like such a short time ago that I was going for three wins here and now I’ve been able to win five.”
 

On the surface it seems easy, but the fact of the matter an incoming storm made it anything but. As winds picked up race officials bumped the start down the hill. It was snowing and the light was characteristically flat.

“Some people got a pretty bad head wind at the top,” Vonn says. “I had to fight it a little up there and I’m thankful because sometimes it’s tough to pop in there in conditions like that.”

Witness the men’s result from the previous week when those running into the teeth of a fast moving squall had no chance against those who started early or very late. Vonn started 16th.

“It’s just confidence,” she says. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t even need to inspect, that I know the right line. I never think twice about where I’m going, I just trust myself and attack 100 percent. I don’t feel any different physically, it’s mostly mental.”

Tell that to some of her competitors. For Nadia Fanchini, the second place finisher, it was a career best result. Maria Riesch in third has made it clear she will do everything in her power to stay close to her friend Vonn in the standings. But the other regular downhill stars were down the finish order.

Renate Goetschl, a five time winner of the World Cup DH title with three World Championship medals in the discipline tried to give chase but could not keep pace and finished 12th. Canadian Britt Janyk, third in last season’s DH standings and racing at home to boot, finished 15th.

“I don’t mind if it’s bad weather,” says Janyk. “It’s too easy when it’s sunny. I had a great run, I had a lot of fun. The track is in great shape. There was quite a lot of wind up there, but’s that’s how it goes sometimes.”

The Canadians had Janyk in 15th, Emily Brydon in seventh, Kelly VanderBeek in 14th, they also had Larisa Yurkiw get her first World Cup points ever in 29th.

Beyond Vonn the American showing was dismal. No other U.S. skier scored points. Only Chelsea Marshall, in 37th, made the top 40 and there were only 60 skiers in the race.

“It was pretty disappointing,” says U.S. coach Jim Tracy. “We definitely expected better today, but we’re going to go watch some video and see what we can do tomorrow. They just need to ski more relaxed, ski like they know how.”

There is another downhill on the scheduled for Saturday with a super G Sunday.

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The SCOOP

By Hank McKee

Equipment

Women’s Downhill, Lake Louise, Alberta, Dec. 5, 2008

1 Vonn, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

2 Fanchini, Dynastar/Lange/Look

3 Riesch, Head/Lange/Tyrolia

4 Stechert, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker

5 Fischbacher, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

5 Holaus, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker

7 Brydon, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon

8 Fenninger, Head/Head/Head

9 Maze, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

10 Gisin, Dynastar/Lange/Marker

 

 

Women’s downhill, Lake Louise, Alberta, Dec. 5, 2008. … It is the fifth race of the women’s 36 race 2008-09 World Cup schedule. … the first of eight scheduled downhills. … It is the 68th World Cup race hosted by Lake Louise. … the 42nd downhill. … and the 29th women’s downhill. … It is the third Cup race at Lake Louise this season, but the first race of three scheduled for the women this season. … entering the race,  Italian Isolde Kostner and American  Lindsey Vonn had recorded the most Cup downhill wins on the track with four.

 

It is the 15th career World Cup win for Lindsey Vonn. … It is her fifth at Lake Louise (all in DH) a course record. … It is her 11th career downhill win, extending her U.S. record. … It is her second win this season, the other coming in slalom at Levi Nov. 15.

 

It is a career best World Cup result for Nadia Fanchini. … Her previous best had been third, tallied three times including at Lake Louise two seasons ago.

 

It is the 20th career World Cup podium for Maria Riesch. … her fifth in downhill. … Her third at Lake Louise. … It is her fifth scoring result of the season in five starts and her second podium of the season.

 

Emily Brydon matches her 15th best career finish in seventh. … It is her second best result at Lake Louise, the best a fourth in DH Dec. 6, 2003. … Kelly VanderBeek matches her 22nd best Cup result in 14th. … It matches her third best finish at Lake Louise and his her second best in DH at the site. … It is the fourth best result at Lake Louise for Britt Janyk. ..  her second best DH result at the site. … Larisa Yurkiw collected her first World Cup points tied in 29th.

 

Lindsey Vonn has opened up a 329-260 lead for the overall World Cup title over Tanja Poutianen (did not race). Maria Pietila Holmner (did not race) is third at 196, Riesch fourth at 195. … Vonn leads the DH standings after one race 100-80 over Fanchini.

 

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Rank	Bib	FIS Code	Name	Year	Nation	Total Time	FIS Points
1	16	537544	VONN Lindsey	1984	USA	1:26.10	0.00
2	9	296729	FANCHINI Nadia	1986	ITA	1:26.71	9.35
3	10	206001	RIESCH Maria	1984	GER	1:26.79	10.58
4	2	206175	STECHERT Gina	1987	GER	1:27.00	13.80
5	25	55750	FISCHBACHER Andrea	1985	AUT	1:27.03	14.26
5	8	55669	HOLAUS Maria	1983	AUT	1:27.03	14.26
7	13	105997	BRYDON Emily	1980	CAN	1:27.10	15.33
8	41	55947	FENNINGER Anna	1989	AUT	1:27.22	17.17
9	1	565243	MAZE Tina	1983	SLO	1:27.23	17.32
10	30	515747	GISIN Dominique	1985	SUI	1:27.36	19.32
11	36	515849	DETTLING Andrea	1987	SUI	1:27.37	19.47
12	18	55069	GOETSCHL Renate	1975	AUT	1:27.40	19.93
13	4	196573	REVILLET Aurelie	1986	FRA	1:27.43	20.39
14	17	106402	VANDERBEEK Kelly	1983	CAN	1:27.49	21.31
15	20	106022	JANYK Britt	1980	CAN	1:27.51	21.62
16	29	296008	MERIGHETTI Daniela	1981	ITA	1:27.52	21.77
17	14	55576	GOERGL Elisabeth	1981	AUT	1:27.53	21.92
18	32	295533	RECCHIA Lucia	1980	ITA	1:27.57	22.54
19	6	196460	MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie	1985	FRA	1:27.73	24.99
20	11	515573	AUFDENBLATTEN Fraenzi	1981	SUI	1:27.78	25.76
21	5	515429	DUMERMUTH Monika	1977	SUI	1:27.81	26.22
22	12	195671	JACQUEMOD Ingrid	1978	FRA	1:27.82	26.37
23	37	515766	SUTER Fabienne	1985	SUI	1:27.93	28.06
24	26	516138	GUT Lara	1991	SUI	1:27.98	28.82
25	21	515170	STYGER Nadia	1978	SUI	1:27.99	28.98
26	33	55539	BERGER Silvia	1980	AUT	1:28.06	30.05
27	7	495318	RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina	1981	SPA	1:28.13	31.12
28	3	55690	HOSP Nicole	1983	AUT	1:28.23	32.66
29	47	106849	YURKIW Larisa	1988	CAN	1:28.28	33.42
29	23	55588	RUMPFHUBER Ingrid	1981	AUT	1:28.28	33.42
31	31	155415	ZAHROBSKA Sarka	1985	CZE	1:28.31	33.88
32	44	296623	MAZZOTTI Lucia	1985	ITA	1:28.53	37.25
33	22	505483	PAERSON Anja	1981	SWE	1:28.54	37.41
34	46	515244	CASANOVA Carmen	1980	SUI	1:28.65	39.09
35	15	515560	SCHILD Martina	1981	SUI	1:28.66	39.25
36	40	195983	ROLLAND Marion	1982	FRA	1:28.67	39.40
37	43	538038	MARSHALL Chelsea	1986	USA	1:28.69	39.71
38	53	505632	LINDELL-VIKARBY Jessica	1984	SWE	1:28.81	41.55
39	55	296427	SCHNARF Johanna	1984	ITA	1:28.87	42.47
40	51	538305	SMITH Leanne	1987	USA	1:28.95	43.69
41	45	537582	COOK Stacey	1984	USA	1:29.00	44.46
42	42	537626	RICHARDSON Kaylin	1984	USA	1:29.17	47.07
43	59	505886	KLING Kajsa	1988	SWE	1:29.30	49.06
44	24	296431	STUFFER Verena	1984	ITA	1:29.34	49.67
45	48	537565	KELLEHER Keely	1984	USA	1:29.44	51.21
46	27	296473	SIORPAES Wendy	1985	ITA	1:29.49	51.97
47	50	55766	MADER Regina	1985	AUT	1:29.59	53.51
47	19	537545	MANCUSO Julia	1984	USA	1:29.59	53.51
49	56	375018	COLETTI Alexandra	1983	MON	1:29.69	55.04
50	28	295136	CECCARELLI Daniela	1975	ITA	1:29.75	55.96
51	54	538685	MCKENNIS Alice	1989	USA	1:29.82	57.03
52	38	106465	LAWRENCE Sherry	1984	CAN	1:29.97	59.33
53	57	195972	AUBERT Sandrine	1982	FRA	1:30.13	61.78
54	58	106410	DESFORGES Emilie	1983	CAN	1:30.21	63.01
55	39	536473	LALIVE Caroline	1979	USA	1:30.27	63.93
56	49	505449	BENT Nike	1981	SWE	1:30.38	65.62
57	60	515587	PUENCHERA Jessica	1982	SUI	1:30.72	70.83
58	61	495615	MORLANS Leyre	1987	SPA	1:32.15	92.75