CORTINA d'AMPEZZO, Italy - Without even putting her all into it, Lindsey Vonn threw down a run that was more than a half a second faster than anybody else's in Thursday's second downhill training in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Vonn, who says Cortina has "a special place in [her] heart" because it was here that she landed her first World Cup podium in the downhill in 2004, then went on to podium in both downhill and SG in 2005, SG in 2006, won the downhill in 2008 and was second last year, finished in 1 minute, 38.98 seconds.

"I definitely tightened the screws today a lot more than yesterday [she was eighth in the first training] but I think I stil have one or two more gears left," Vonn said. "It was a solid run. I made some mistakes on the top but I like the way I skied in the middle. I'm really happy with the run today."

Anja Paerson, who was one of many racers to miss gates in her run, had the second fastest time in 1:39.55, followed by Nadia Fanchini in 1:39.97.

Although Thursday brought another beautiful day of sun and blue skies, the wind was howling at the top of the course, and Paerson said it was difficult to gauge her speed during her run.

"The wind that comes and goes, you don't feel your speed," she said. "I thought I was a bit late on some turns. Up on the top, it's a head wind, then you come down it's a tail wind, then it's a head wind around Coach's Corner and it's constantly twisting around. When it's one way, you adjust. When it's coming like this, you don't really know how to go."

As for problems with her right knee, Paerson said the leg is cramping a lot but doesn't seem to affect her racing and she feels she can win at Cortina if she is able to put down her best run.

"In this race you have to be perfect," she said. "If you're too hard on the ski, the snow in the middle is so compact and so beautiful ... I know I can win this race, but I have to be perfect."

Vonn said that while she cranked up her effort another notch for the second day of training, it was not her goal to put the fastest time down.

"I wasn't really expecting to be fast today," she said. "I was trying to ski more cleanly, more aggressively. I didn't say to myself, 'I want to be ahead by this much.' I just said I want to have a good run. I'm thankful that it went well. I hope I can keep it going for the race on Saturday."

"I'm confident in what I'm doing," Vonn continued. "Some people yesterday were like, 'Oh, she's not in top form,' but I normally don't push myself too hard in the training runs. I have to leave a little bit for the races, and I definitely have more to give so hopefully this weekend is another good one for me."

Canadian racer Marie-Pier Prefontaine didn't start in Thursday's training, having suffered a concussion in a crash on Wednesday near the finish line. The Canadian Team will wait and see if M-P, who is more a tech than a speed skier, will start in Sunday's giant slalom. Italian racer Elena Fanchini had a similar crash over the last jump on the course Thursday, rolling right through the finish line banner but standing up and appearing to be OK. Maria Riesch also had an unlucky training run, hitting a rock on the course and finishing at the back of the pack.

Racing in Cortina begins Friday with super G, followed by downhill Saturday and GS Sunday.

by Shauna Farnell / SkiRacing Magazine
FISalpine.com
Thursday 21 January 2010