ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – Lindsey Vonn’s winning run in the FIS Audi World Cup super G in Cortina wasn’t as harrowing as some of her others this season, but a victory devoid of exciting near-crashes is really the way she prefers to have it.

Lindsey Vonn, of the United States speeds down the hill on her way to win an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race, in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

“All I’m happy about really today, is that I had a good, clean run,” said Vonn, who won with a time of 1 minute, 11.66 seconds, 0.43 ahead of Anja Paerson and 0.47 ahead of Anna Fenninger, although she said she was not skiing at 100 percent.

Austria's Anna Fenninger speeds down the hill on her way to take third place in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race, in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

“In the past few races I’ve been making mistakes. Today I found a happy balance, a happy medium and I was able to ski solid and have a good day,” Vonn said. “I had a near accident in the downhill [training] and I was like, ‘OK, that’s enough.’ I really just need to take it easy and ski 90 percent and ski cleanly and not risk too much. This weekend my whole goal is to have clean runs and no mistakes.”

Lindsey Vonn, of the United States, reacts at finish line after winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race, in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Armando Trovati)

In order to preserve the top part of the course for Saturday’s downhill, officials ran the super G from the lower start house at 1,960 meters (the higher SG start is at 2,160). Temperatures were much lower on Friday, plummeting to around -12 degrees Celsius and a very strong wind slammed some racers in the face and some on the back, especially at the top of the course.

Vonn said the weather Roulette spun a head wind for her on the first section of the race.

“It was strong against me at the top – definitely a head wind,” Vonn said. “I was going slow I feel like, because of the wind. I don’t know if it switched to a tail wind at the bottom. I think it was changing for everyone. Some people got head winds, some people got tail winds. It was challenging because it changes the speed you came into the turns with. Maybe because I had a head wind I was able to stay in my tuck and maybe go a little straighter than the line that was there, so maybe that helped.”

Paerson felt that everyone got a mixed bag from the gusts and said she may have been able to close the gap between herself and Vonn had she been a little more aggressive on the top part of the course.

“We were lucky we had the start in the lower part because the wind comes and goes. But I still think we had a good race for everyone –pretty equal,” she said. “At the first parts I was hesitating. Compared to Lindsey, I need to be faster on top. If I didn’t do that small hesitating up there, it could have been close.”

Sweden's Anja Paerson speeds down the hill on her way to take second place in an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race, in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

The 29-year-old Swede said her hesitation had a lot to do with confidence – especially in super G. Friday’s result will give her a boost after her less-than-ideal performances in the discipline this season: 19th in Lake Louise and missed gates in both Val d’Isere and Zauchensee.

“I need those good results, especially in super G,” she said. “You need to have those results, trust your skis, trust your boots. It doesn’t have to be a win. As long as I feel good, feel confident, that’s all I need.”

As super Gs go, the course set by France didn’t contain too many surprises.

“As far as the set, there are no tricky gates, but you really have to have your line right,” said Julia Mancuso, who finished fourth Friday, 0.60 seconds off the winning pace. “I made a mistake, but it was our plan to stick to the line, bring it out and quick switch, but you could have actually cut the corner off more. It was running easier than it looked. The snow was really good – the hill is like two different hills from yesterday and today. It’s almost icy, but really grippy and the wind blew all the snow off.”

It was the third podium finish in Fenninger’s World Cup career, following her recent third place in the Zauchensee downhill and a second in the 2009 Cortina SG. The 21-year-old Austrian was the 2008 Junior World Ski Champion in combined and giant slalom (silver in SG) and has 14 other World Cup top 10 finishes. She appears to have reached a new stride with her back-to-back podiums.

“I just want to continue like this,” she said. “Two podiums so close together … it is great.”

Sweden's Anja Paerson, left, second placed, is flanked on podium by the winner Lindsey Vonn, of the United States, and third placed Anna Fenninger, right, of Austria, after an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race, in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Armando Trovati)

It was a standout day for the U.S. Team. Not only did Vonn close some of the distance between herself and Maria Riesch (ninth on Friday) in the overall standings, now with 927 points to Riesch’s 1052, but following Mancuso in fourth, Leanne Smith clinched a Cup career best in eighth, Laurenne Ross (who was 16th a few weeks ago in the Val d’Isere super-combined) landed her top SG result in 19th and Stacey Cook, who had failed to score points in the previous handful of races, was 21st.

Several racers nailed the top section of the course, leading the race, but then lost speed in the bottom flats. These included Lara Gut, who was nonetheless fifth, 0.62 seconds off the winning time. The Swiss team had a strong day altogether, with Fabienne Suter tied with Austria’s Andrea Fischbacher for sixth, Dominique Gisin tied with Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg for 11th and Nadja Kamer 14th.

For Austria, Nicole Hosp, who almost won the SG in Zauchensee if not for a big mistake that put her in fifth, was 10th Friday and Magret Altacher continued on what has been for her a breakout season (she earned her first Cup top 10s in the Zauchensee super G and Val d’Isere super-combined) in 13th.

by Shauna Farnell
Friday 21 January 2011