VAL d’ISERE, France (Feb. 9) – After collecting gold in the 2009 FIS World Championship super G last week, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) stormed to another win in Monday’s downhill at Val d’Isere and was crowned the official queen of speed. Vonn clocked a 1:30.31 on the steep and technical course, while Swiss youngster Lara Gut was second, .52 seconds behind. It was the first U.S. women’s downhill title since Hilary Lindh won in 1997.

“I was hoping in these World Championships to win one gold medal. To win two is so unbelievable,” Vonn said. “I skied with my heart. It was an incredible day for me. I work so hard and I live for a day like today.”

The World Championship downhill was no exception as fresh snow in Val d’Isere delayed the women’s start, originally scheduled for Sunday. In addition to the overtly challenging technical components of the hill, which Vonn called the most demanding on the women’s circuit, the delay added another mental hurdle for racers to overcome. On Sunday, Women’s Head Coach Jim Tracy said the woman with the toughest mind would win the race.

“It was a tough day for me. I was really nervous. We’ve had two days off and I’ve been thinking about being disqualified in the super combined, but really getting excited about the downhill,” Vonn said. “I was nervous in the start but my husband was there and he got me calmed down and in the right mood for attacking. And that’s what I did.”

Vonn and her husband Thomas, who was also a World Cup racer for the U.S., are a special team in the ski racing world, as he travels along with her to help manage her time, equipment and in cases like Monday, to help Vonn through the mental challenges of racing.

“She was nervous, she specifically asked me to be in the start with her and she’s never done that before. I tried to keep my cool and keep her level, take away the hype of the race,” he said.

Striking the right balance of mental calm and furor, Vonn also held a slightly higher line from start to finish and perfectly executed the big carousel turns at key points in the race to win over Gut, who held the early lead for 15 racers. Prior to the race, Vonn knew she had a good feeling on her skis and was concentrating during training on executing her line to a tee.

“I fought the whole way down and I nailed the bottom section where it was really important to carry speed,” she said.

Performing well at marquee races like World Championships, Vonn said, is not only significant and rewarding in her own career, but also in creating excitement about ski racing.

“I don’t know if it’s going to change my life but I really hope that this helps create awareness. Even with the first gold medal here it’s creating a lot of excitement about skiing. And going into the Olympics, more people will be excited about the sport and that’s what I want to do. The more success we have will help people become more aware of the sport. I want people to know my sport is the best in the world,” Vonn said.

Another North American win in the men’s downhill by Canadian John Kucera on Saturday will add to the exposure, Vonn added.

“North Americans have a good heart and we fight really hard. And we’re always skiing for ourselves and have our own goals and motivations and just fight. We want to win as bad, or more, than anyone else,” she said.

With the pressure now totally off Vonn, she’ll turn her focus to upcoming technical events.

“Now it’s important to get some training. I need to ski some giant slalom and slalom before the races. Slalom has been going very well, I won the last race in Garmisch, so I just have to get some training. Hopefully, I can get two solid runs and be on the podium,” Vonn said.

Stacey Cook (Mammoth, CA) finished the downhill in ninth place, which she said was a great confidence booster. Running early, she came through the finish nine tenths of a second in the lead.

“It felt good to come down in the lead at the World Champs. That was pretty special,” Cook said. “All I wanted to do at the top was execute my line and ski my plan and I think, considering how bad the year’s been so far, that it was a great achievement for me, to have a little bit of confidence in the start and be able to do what I wanted to do.”

Cook handled the added pressure of delays well, trying to keep things light.

“I came here and I was just having fun, I’ve been freesking a lot more than normal and just enjoying my time with my teammates and everyone and I think it’s transferring into skiing so I’ll just keep that going,” she said.

World Championship racing continues Wednesday with the men’s team event, which starts with a first run at 5 a.m. ET and second run at 11 a.m. ET.

The next women’s race is the giant slalom on Thursday, Feb. 12. Fans can tune in for live action at UniversalSports.com. NBC, which broadcast the men’s downhill last weekend, will provide highlights from Val d’Isere Sunday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m. ET.

–
Author: Marina Knight
Photos: Doug Haney/USSA

“I feel like I’ve worked my whole life for this moment. I’ve always dreamed of being a World Champion,” Vonn said. ” Coming through the finish today I just couldn’t believe it. I’m so thrilled and so excited. There was so much emotion. You work so hard and to finally have something that you worked hard for, words can’t describe it. It’s an incredible feeling and I’m just so thankful.”

Vonn, who took the silver in super G during the 2007 World Championships, became the first U.S. woman to earn a gold in the discipline as well as the first woman to win a World Championship gold since Hilary Lindh, who won downhill in 1997. According to the medalist, though, she wasn’t sure she’d make the podium Tuesday.

“Today it was really tough conditions and I didn’t know if I was even going to be able to be on the podium, but I skied with my heart. I gave it everything I could and I’m just so thankful and so happy that I was able to come away with a gold medal,” Vonn said. “It takes a lot of hard work, not only for myself, but for my coaches, for my husband, for my serviceman, for everyone to make today happen and I’m so thankful that everything fit together perfectly and I was able to win the gold medal.”

Having the win under her belt from the start, Vonn says a little weight has been lifted off her shoulders for the rest of the reces in Val d’Isere.

“Now that I have a gold medal, that was essentially my goal for the entire World Championships, so I this is going to allow me to ski a little bit more relaxed and take a little bit of the pressure off,” Vonn said. “I think it’s a great thing and hopefully I am able to keep going with this momentum.”

But, even with a more relaxed tone, Vonn still has a few goals she wants to accomplish before the World Championships come to a close.

“I really hope that I am able to win a medal in the downhill. That, it think, is my biggest goal because it’s my favorite discipline. I love it so much and it just would mean a lot to me if I could be able to succeed in that discipline,” Vonn said. “I also have the super combined and the slalom, so I have a few more events left that are medal possibilities.

According to Vonn, the World Championships also offer her some preparation time for a larger competition that lies one year over the horizon – the Olympics.

“I have thought about Vancouver and the 2010 Olympics quite a bit. I feel like these World Championships are going to be good preparation for me to get used to the press and expectations and pressure,” Vonn said. “I feel like things have changed a lot since the last Olympics and I think people expect me to do well now. For me I’m going to remember the feeling I had today. I’m going to remember mentally how I was in the start and hopefully I will be able to do the same thing in 2010.”

For now, though, Vonn remains focused on the task at hand.

“I’m just going to keep fighting, keep working hard and hopefully carry this momentum throughout the World Championships,” Vonn said.

The World Championships continue in Val d’Isere Wednesday with men’s super G. Catch the action live on UniversalSports.com at 5:00 a.m. ET.

Author: Lindsey Sine
Photo Credit: Doug Haney/USSA