ARE, SWEDEN — Maria Riesch won a World Cup super-combined race Friday after a strong slalom run and extended her lead over Lindsey Vonn at the top of the overall standings.
The German had finished second behind Vonn in the super-G run on Friday, but overtook the American to win in 1 minute, 59.60 seconds.
Tina Maze of Slovenia was second, 0.40 seconds behind, while Elisabeth Goergl of Austria finished third. Anja Paerson of Sweden was fourth.
Vonn dropped to sixth place after a patchy slalom run where she struggled to find rhythm.
“I was disappointed with my result today, but I had a good super-G run, and I look forward to my next two days here,” Vonn said. “I feel like I had a hard time with the groove, there was a bit of a rut and I lost my balance about 10 gates in, and I never really got back in the rhythm.”
Vonn was 0.48 back at the time split, but crossed the line 1.16 seconds behind Riesch.
“I’m just disappointed because I’ve been skiing a good slalom and haven’t been able to put it in a race,” Vonn said. “I’m really happy with my super-G run. It was solid, aggressive, I was driving the ski. Definitely back to my normal self.”
Vonn insists she is fully recovered from the concussion she sustained in training ahead of the recent world championships.
“I feel really good and my head is clear,” she said. “I definitely feel good.”
Julia Mancuso of the United States, who was fifth after the super-G, finished eighth.
