CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — In three weeks, the only things that will matter for Vail’s Lindsey Vonn will be gold, silver or bronze. Saturday, however, was a day for milestones.
Vonn made it five wins in five downhills this season. Her 30th World Cup victory tied her with Croatia’s Janica Kostelic for eighth place on the women’s career list, nearly halfway to Austrian leader Annemarie Moser-Proell’s 62 wins.
“It’s crazy! When she was dominating the World Cup, I thought she was unbeatable,” Vonn said, referring to Kostelic. “She was so good — too good — and I don’t really see myself as the person that’s got the same amount of wins that she has.
“She is just as big a legend in ski racing as Moser-Proell or (Renate) Goetschl. She’s a huge name.”
Goetschl is third on the list at 46 and holds the record for wins at one venue — 10 in Cortina. Vonn also won Friday’s super-G and now has three victories at one of the most prestigious stops on the women’s circuit.
Bothered throughout her career by injuries, Kostelic retired after the 2005-06 season at 24. Vonn is 25 and has no plans of stopping anytime soon.
“Just knowing that people have had that many wins makes it more inspiring,” Vonn said. “You know that people have done it before, and so it gives you hope that you can do it too. It’s good to know there’s something to keep striving for.”
Only one more stop remains on the women’s World Cup schedule before the Vancouver Olympics open Feb. 12. If Vonn wins the downhill in St. Moritz, Switzerland, next week, she’ll head to Canada on a six-race winning streak in the discipline — seven if her victory in the final downhill of last season is included.
“I just have to keep executing, stick with the same rhythm, have the same approach and just try not to let the nerves and pressure get the best of me,” Vonn said.
Vonn sped down the course in 1 minute, 37.70 seconds. Maria Riesch of Germany finished second, 0.42 seconds behind, with Sweden’s Anja Paerson and Switzerland’s Nadja Kamer tied for third, 0.86 seconds back.
Another American, Julia Mancuso, matched Vonn through the first checkpoint and was on course for her first podium finish in nearly two years through the final interval before losing nearly half a second on the bottom. Still, she finished eighth for her best result of the season.
Cuche captures classic downhill
KITZBUEHEL, Austria — Didier Cuche of Switzerland earned his second straight World Cup victory, winning a downhill on the Streif course a day after he captured a super-G.
Cuche sped down the course in 1:53.74 to grab his fourth win of the season in front of a crowd of 44,000. It was the 35-year-old’s third victory at the classic downhill race, which he also won in 1998 and 2008.
Cuche became only the third skier after Austrian greats Hermann Maier and Stephen Eberharter to win two Hahnenkamm races in one weekend.
Slovenia’s Andrej Sporn was 0.28 seconds back in second for his first career podium finish. Werner Heel of Italy took third, 0.39 behind.
“It’s incredible. I was thinking about winning the double yesterday,” Cuche said. “I knew I had to attack.”
Bode Miller was the top American in ninth. Miller trailed Cuche by 1.16 seconds, and U.S. teammates Erik Fisher and Marco Sullivan tied for 18th.
