WHISTLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — As other top skiers crashed around her, Vail’s Lindsey Vonn on Wednesday survived to become the first U.S. female Olympic downhill gold medal champion.
Her childhood rival and American teammate Julia Mancuso took a surprise silver medal.
“I think it’s great that Julia and I are both on the podium today,” Vonn said. “It just shows how strong our team is, and how much we want to win. I think it’s a great day for American sports and for alpine skiing.”
After Vonn’s run — after she survived a final jump that had already caused Swiss skier Dominique Gisin and Swedish standout Anja Paerson to crash — Vonn celebrated at the finish.
Vonn’s bruised right shin proved not to be a hindrance as she sped down Franz’s Downhill in 1 minute, 44.19 seconds.
“With all the injuries that I’ve had this season, I felt like things weren’t going my way,” Vonn said. “But I stayed positive, as much as I could.
“I’ve worked my whole life for this, and even though it hasn’t been a perfect ride, it’s been an amazing one.”
Mancuso finished 0.56 seconds behind, and Elisabeth Goergl of Austria took the bronze medal, 1.46 seconds back.
Maria Riesch of Germany, Vonn’s best friend and usual rival of late, finished eighth.
It’s the third time two Americans have finished 1-2 in an Olympic Alpine race, and the first time in 26 years.
At the 1984 Sarajevo Games, brothers Phil and Steve Mahre took gold and silver in the slalom and Debbie Armstrong and Christin Cooper accomplished the feat in giant slalom.
Vonn was hurt Feb. 2 during pre-Olympic practice in Austria and had hardly skied over the past two weeks.
Still, as the two-time defending overall World Cup champion and the winner of five of the six downhills this season, she entered as an overwhelming favorite.
Mancuso won the giant slalom at the 2006 Turin Games but hadn’t finished on the podium since the Olympic test downhill here two years ago. The Squaw Valley, Calif., skier has won only two World Cup downhills in her career, the last nearly three years ago.
Mancuso was an early starter and still led when Vonn skied.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
