CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Vail’s Lindsey Vonn won her third straight season downhill title Saturday and tied Bode Miller for the most career World Cup victories by an American at 32.
She defeated Italy’s Johanna Schnarf by a mere 0.01 seconds in her first race since the Vancouver Olympics, where she won gold in the downhill. Vonn finished the Nationale downhill course in 1 minute, 35.26 seconds.
“It’s been a great season and I’m really happy with everything that’s happened,” Vonn said. “I think of all the titles, I am most proud of winning the Olympic downhill gold — that was the highlight of the season for me.”
Vonn clinched the Crystal Globe for the downhill title by increasing her lead to 189 points over Maria Riesch of Germany with just one race left. Marianne Abderhalden of Switzerland was third, 0.38 seconds behind.
Vonn earned her sixth win in seven World Cup downhill races this season. She extended her lead in the World Cup overall standings to 197 points ahead of Riesch, who was sixth.
Anja Paerson of Sweden, who is third in the overall and downhill standings, broke off her run after an apparent problem with her goggles.
“It was a tough race out there,” said Vonn, about the conditions. “Sometimes there would be a headwind, sometimes a tailwind.”
Cuche wins downhill title.
Didier Cuche of Switzerland won his third World Cup downhill title with a dominant run in Kvitfjell, Norway, his first race after missing the podium in the event at the Vancouver Olympics.
Cuche finished the race in 1 minute, 45.98 seconds to beat Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway by nearly half a second. Klaus Kroell of Austria was third.
The 35-year-old Swiss also won the downhill titles in 2007 and 2008. Olympic champion Didier Difago of Switzerland finished 14th, and American Bode Miller skipped the trip to Norway.
• Olympic super-G bronze medalist Andrew Weibrecht dislocated his shoulder in a crash in Kvitfjell, and he will miss next week’s World Cup season finale.
The Associated Press
