LAKE LOUISE, Alberta — Blood spilling from her mouth, Lindsey Vonn sped through snowfall Friday to win a World Cup downhill on the Canadian course for the sixth time in six years.
Vonn said her knee smacked her chin, causing her to cut her tongue, near the top of the run. Still, the two-time overall World Cup champion from Vail finished in 1 minute, 26.13 seconds, more than a half-second better than anyone else.
“I was spitting up blood,” she said. “It was so nasty.”
When she reached the bottom of the course, Vonn held a chunk of snow to her mouth.
“It just about knocked her out, apparently, but she held on and did a great job,” U.S. Ski Team women’s coach Jim Tracy said.
Canada’s Emily Brydon finished second in 1:26.65, the best finish by a woman from the host country in 19 years of World Cup racing at Lake Louise. Germany’s Maria Riesch was third in 1:26.93.
Julia Mancuso of Olympic Valley, Calif., was the second-best American finisher in 10th, while 21-year-old Alice McKennis of Glenwood Springs notched an 18th-place result in just her second career World Cup downhill race.
“I was really relaxed and calm. I didn’t really feel nervous at all, which is kind of weird,” McKennis said. “I’m usually nervous. I just wanted to have fun and ski well.”
Vonn has won a downhill at Lake Louise every year since 2004. From 2004-06, two downhills were run annually at the venue, with a single race the next two years.
The race was shortened because snow created poor visibility at the top of the mountain.
“The weather was so bad (Friday), and we had to move the start down,” Tracy said. “We knew we had to keep everybody focused and in their game plans. Lindsey did a great job seeing the course.”
A second downhill is scheduled for today, followed by a super-G on Sunday.
“I feel really good, and I’m skiing with a lot confidence,” Vonn said. “The weather is not supposed to be great for the next couple of days, but I know I’ve had bad weather before, like today. Hopefully (today) I’m going to try to have a more solid clean run.”
