Vonn wins Super-G to complete Canada treble

Lindsey Vonn completed her third treble sweep at Lake Louise in five seasons by winning Sunday's World Cup Super-G race at the Canadian piste to seize the overall points lead.

The 31-year-old American swept downhills Friday and Saturday and completed her weekend hat-trick with a run of 1:19.79 for her 70th career World Cup victory, 18 of them coming at Lake Louise.

"I had a pretty good run. I'm pretty happy with it," Vonn said. "I definitely got a little bit late on the bottom, got pushed a little bit, but I kept the speed going. So I would say it was a pretty decent run, but looking back you can always say you could do better."

Austrian Tamara Tippler was second in 1:21.11 with compatriot Cornelia Huetter third in 1:21.14.

Reigning downhill and Super-G World Cup champion Vonn has won 25 career Super-G World Cup races, a record for men or women.

"It was a big deal," Vonn said. "I feel like there were some people that doubted whether I could win today and especially because Lara (Gut) had won the last couple races here in super-G.
"And also my technician made some bets with people, so I felt a little bit like I had to come through. It was my physio Lindsay's last day with me travelling on the road, so I kind of wanted to end with a bang."

Vonn has enjoyed a magical run at Lake Louise since taking her first World Cup win there in 2004.

Vonn, the most decorated women's skier in World Cup history, also won three races at Lake Louise in 2011 and 2012. She was hurt in a 2013 training run barely two weeks before Lake Louise, reinjuring her right knee, and settled for 40th and 11th in downhills and fifth in the Super-G.

But with her latest triumph, she edged just ahead of compatriot Mikaela Shiffrin 300-296 for the overall season points lead and took the Super-G lead as well. Shiffrin was 15th in her speed debut, 2.29 adrift of Vonn.

"There were some spots that I was probably a little bit too wide and here and there maybe turning almost too much, but down the piste, onto the flats, I felt like I carried some good speed," Shiffrin said.

"I'm starting ahead of where I actually thought I would. I felt solid on the skis and it was really fun to be honest."

Vonn seeks her fifth overall crown in nine seasons and first since 2012, her sixth Super-G crown in eight seasons and eighth downhill crown in nine seasons.

Tippler enjoyed a career-best result for the third day in a row.

It's so amazing," she said. "I have no words to describe it."

Huetter was excited after her third podium in as many days.

"I had to push hard," she said. "It's a good result, I am super happy about it."

The World Cup tour resumes next week with technical events in Are, Sweden.
Source: AFP