ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy – The war was on between best friends in the Cortina super G on Sunday and after casualties from every nation were taken out by tricky gates all day, both of the two top contenders were left smiling in the sun.

First placed Lindsey Vonn, of the U.S., speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race, in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

With a sore left knee following a big slip and close call in Saturday’s downhill that still ended in a third place finish, Vonn watched from the top of the course as Lara Gut threw down a very fast run, more than a half a second faster than anyone else’s. Then she watched as Maria Riesch left the start house right before her. Although Vonn didn’t know that Riesch blazed down her run more than eight tenths of a second faster than Gut, she still knew it was necessary to light up the track.

First placed Lindsey Vonn, of the U.S., speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race, in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

So, after having a another clean run devoid of thrilling near-crashes, Vonn won her second super G of the weekend, beating Riesch by a mere 0.05 seconds as Gut rounded out the podium.

Third placed Switzerland's Lara Gut speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race, in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

“I knew today was going to be a tough day,” Vonn said. “I saw Lara Gut’s run, it was a pretty good run. I was impressed. I was like, ‘OK, nobody is going to give you this, you have to take it. You have to risk everything.'”

Vonn did steer wide in the bottom of the course but reeled it in without major mishap.

“I was close to going out near the bottom but I just kept the skis running and made it down. It was a pretty good run, just solid and attacking … a run I’m really proud of,” she said, adding that she would like to have seen more of Riesch’s run. “I saw her the first six gates, right until the first jump. She looked like she was carrying some good speed. So I was like,’OK, Maria is fast … again. So I have to step it up'. And yeah, I did that.”

Second placed Germany's Maria Riesch speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race, in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Riesch, who, with Saturday’s downhill victory and Friday’s ninth place, didn’t give up much of her lead over Vonn in the World Cup overall standings this weekend (1232 to Vonn’s 1087), was very happy with her race on Sunday, sizing it up as one of the best super G races she’s had in a long time. Her podium in the season-opening SG in Lake Louise was her first in the discipline since March of 2009 and Sunday’s speedy run – on a very tricky course that eliminated 17 racers, felt like a victory to her.

FISalpine.com
Sunday 23 January 2011

First placed Lindsey Vonn, of the U.S., center, second placed Germany's Maria Riesch, left, and third placed Switzerland's Lara Gut celebrate on the podium at the end of an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race, in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Armando Trovati)

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