The downhill course at Lake Louise should have a statue of Lindsey Vonn at the top of it. Some people are even saying they should change the name of the place to Lake Lindsey. The American superstar won her second straight race here Saturday, claiming the downhill in 1 minute, 50.06 seconds.

The victory was the 24th of her World Cup career and her seventh on this course.

It was the same faces podium as in Friday's race, this time German Maria Riesch edged Emily Brydon for second place, finishing .35 seconds behind her best friend as Brydon, smiling big for the loud and proud home crowd, was third, .70 seconds back.

Vonn was talking a little funny from her tongue-biting incident in Friday's race, but was thrilled with the back-to-back victories, which she hadn't had since her double in St. Anton three years ago, winning the downhill and then the super-combined.

"It's definitely awesome," she said. "It's been a great weekend so far and a great way to start off the year, especially with the new material. Obviously, Heads are fast."

Both Vonn and Riesch are Head skiers, as is Anja Paerson, who took fourth on Saturday (1:51.17).

Vonn said she was a little cautious coming down the top of the course - it was the one split she didn't win - after nearly crashing there in Friday's race.

"I was a little bit more conservative on the top part where I caught an edge yesterday but I think I nailed the Fallaway and Fishnet again today," she said. "That's why I carried good speed onto the bottom. That Fallaway turn is the key part. If you can nail it you carry good speed onto the bottom."

Riesch, who has shared the podium with Vonn three times now (twice here and when she and Vonn went 1-2 in the Levi slalom), said the improved visibility and more consistent conditions in Saturday's race allowed her to push herself more than in her third-place run on Friday.

"I still have some problems going to the limits when I can't see very well," she said. "Today I did full attack. At the bottom I got a touch on my inside ski and got a little out of my tuck - getting out of the tuck on the flat part is not the fastest - but I'm very happy with my result today."

Brydon, who had been vying to land on a World Cup at home in Canada her entire career until her second place in Friday's race, said the double podium confirmed that her program is right where it needs to be.

"I really believed in what I did yesterday. I wanted to follow it up with something good," she said. "I didn't necessarily hope for another podium, but I just kept with the same game plan. I'm really happy with third. You can always tell yourself things but results are unfortunately the ones that confirm them. I'm working toward a good thing."

The Canadians represented their homeland very well once again in Saturday's race. Britt Janyk finished eighth, Kelly Vanderbeek 13th and Larisa Yurkiw 16th.

The U.S. team had its best collective result since 1991. In another amazing display of coming up from the back field, Alice McKennis, who wore bib No. 50, skied into 10th place. It was only her third World Cup race. On Friday she was 18th following two solid training runs, in which she finished fourth and ninth.

Last season, she landed a hat trick of victories in NorAm downhills and a super G at Lake Louise and said her five seasons of familiarity with the hill are serving her well in her debut World Cup season.

"I still can't believe it. I'm so excited," McKennis said after Saturday's race, donning cat whisker-decorated tape to protect her face from the wind and plummeting -24 degree (C) temperatures. "It's way more than I could have hoped for here. I'm so happy. I just wanted to come up here and maybe get some top 30s. To get a top 10 and a top 20 is unbelievable. It feels good. I guess I just know the hill really well. I'm really confident here."

Also for the Americans, Stacey Cook was 11th Saturday, Julia Mancuso was 12th, Leanne Smith 23rd and Chelsea Marshall 25th.

The women's World Cup weekend at Lake Louise wraps up Sunday with super G at 11 a.m. local (Mountain) time.

by Shauna Farnell
Ski racing Magazine
www.skiracing.com
Sunday 6 December 2009