BEAVER CREEK — It was a beautiful day for skiing with warm temperatures and soft snow under a gorgeous blue sky, and that made it a glorious setting to watch a gold-medal duel between two of the best downhillers in the world.
Lindsey Vonn wasn’t one of them, though.
Vonn was the main attraction for the largest crowd of the championships so far, but she finished fifth in Friday’s downhill, more than a second behind gold medal winner Tina Maze of Slovenia. Maze was 0.02 of a second ahead of Austrian Anna Fenninger, who claimed the silver medal. That was a reversal of when they were 0.03 apart, Fenninger taking gold and Maze silver.
Spectators filled the grandstand until it reached standing-room-only capacity, and thousands more hiked up along the course, but many of them went home disappointed. Vonn never seemed to find the rhythm of the course, and the other U.S. women finished more than two seconds off the pace.
“I was extremely motivated and determined,” Vonn said. “When I went out of the starting gate, I had a really good feeling. I just didn’t quite do it today. I just want to thank all the spectators for coming out, it was an amazing atmosphere.”
Most of the other women competed here in World Cup races last season, and the U.S. women have trained here several times. Vonn missed the World Cup races, because she was injured, and only got a couple days of training on the course in January before arriving for the world championships.
The course also ran faster than it did in downhill training sessions, and Vonn had trouble adjusting.
“You have to hit the line right in a couple of key sections,” Vonn said. “Today, with the faster speeds, my timing was a little bit off. Sometimes I was a little bit too early (initiating turns), sometimes a little bit too late. I just really haven’t gotten a great feel for the course yet.”
Former ski great Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden said it looks to her as if Vonn is a little flat after breaking Annemarie Moser-Proell’s record for career World Cup wins last month.
“She was striving so hard for this record, so when she finally got it, I think a little bit went out of her system,” said Wiberg, a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Vonn insisted she was OK with the outcome.
“I fought my whole way down,” Vonn said. “I was so focused, I visualized the course a thousand times, I did everything I normally do and more. It just wasn’t a great run. It was a good run. I’m going home happy because I skied my best, my family is here, amazing atmosphere, it’s sunny and there’s not a lot to be sad about. I wish I could have done more, of course, but I did my best.”
Vonn claimed a bronze medal in the super-G Tuesday, and that’ s probably all she will have to show for these world championships in her home valley.
“I’m really proud of racing at home,” Vonn said. “I wish I could have done something better for the public and my family, but I still have two more chances, the super combined and the (giant slalom)…Hopefully I can make a miracle happen.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616, jmeyer@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnmeyer
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
The Vail Valley is hosting its third world championships through Feb. 15, with all but one race taking place at Beaver Creek:
Viewing: Admission is free for skiers and nonskiers. Temporary bleachers have been erected at the Red Tail finish area, and there are good viewing areas alongside the two courses. A large viewing screen has been erected at the finish area.
Getting there: Spectators should park in Avon and take buses to the Beaver Creek base. If they are not skiing, they can take shuttles for a short trip to the finish area.
TV: NBC, NBCSN and Universal Sports will combine for 25 hours of viewing. For the first time in the U.S., all events will be shown live.
Saturday’s schedule: Men’s downhill, 11 a.m.
More info:
