CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — A healthy Lindsey Vonn was feeling like her old self, skiing well and getting ready for football.
She finished second to Italy’s Daniela Merighetti on Saturday in a World Cup downhill.
Vonn then prepared for an early wake-up call before today’s super-G, setting her alarm at 4 a.m. to cheer on Tim Tebow and the Broncos in the NFL playoffs.
Last weekend in Bad Kleinkircheim, Austria, Vonn struggled with a stomach illness and uncharacteristically missed the podium in two speed races. This performance marked a complete turnaround.
“I felt great again, my energy is back to normal and I’m able to do what I want on my skis, and that’s definitely not the feeling I had on my skis last week,” Vonn said.
Merighetti, meanwhile, was skiing with a broken left thumb but completed the course in 1 minute, 33.17 seconds for her long-awaited first victory, which came before her home fans in one of the season’s biggest downhills.
Vonn finished 0.21 seconds behind, and defending overall champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany was third, 0.40 back.
But football also was on the Vail resident’s mind. The Denver-New England game was scheduled for a 2 a.m. start in Italy, and Vonn planned to keep tabs on the second half.
“I think I’m just going to have my app running, and I’ll set my alarm to keep updates on the score,” Vonn said. “It’s going to be a special game. The Broncos and Green Bay are both my teams because my family is in Wisconsin and I live in Colorado, but I’m definitely cheering for the Broncos.”
“Hopefully, I wake up to a great score and that sets the mood for the whole day. But either way, I’m just going to attack and go for the win.”
Miller lands fifth•WENGEN, Switzerland — New Swiss ski star Beat Feuz won before his home fans, capturing a World Cup downhill on the classic Lauberhorn course, while Bode Miller seemed poised to win but made a tactical error and finished fifth.
“It’s a bummer,” said Miller, a two-time Lauberhorn winner.
