Vonn makes it 43 World Cup wins in the first Lake Louise Downhill
Lindsey Vonn is a mission and when she is in this frame of mind then
there is no stopping her. Lake Lindsey, as Lake Louise has been
known with Vonn having won there now nine times from 27 starts, is a
special place in her heart.
Vonn took the win by an incredible 1.95 seconds, the largest
in her career to date. Tina Weirather took second coming from number
40 and Dominique Gisin was third.
While the American team celebrated the first
double win since 2004, when both Vonn (then racing as Kildow) and
Miller won, this was the second time this season that HEAD had won
the corresponding male and female races.
For Vonn, “"Everything
just came together and I'm hoping to keep it going this weekend. I'm
happy to be back racing downhill,” continuing “There was a pretty
big head wind coming onto the Fall Away turn, but I knew that Heinz
(Hemmerle) my technician had done some magic with my skis to help me
on the flats and it all came together."
Vonn’s win was all the more remarkable due to the wind that buffeted
the racers: "I couldn't believe it. My goal was just to ski
aggressively through the wind and tough light conditions. I could
feel the wind heavily when I was skiing, so to win by almost two
seconds is just amazing."
With the support of her sister at the race, Vonn can now also rely
on the support of Maria Hoefl-Riesch. Vonn explained how she feels
when she is on her skis: “"Skiing is the best thing for me. When I'm
on my skis, on the mountain and going fast I feel really
comfortable." It has been a difficult time for Vonn as she announced
in the lead up to the race in Lake Louise that she and her husband
Thomas Vonn were filing for divorce
With this performance the pressure is now on the rest of the field
to try and see just where Vonn won the race: third placed Dominique
Gisin commented “congratulations
to Lindsey, she is just impressive. I even think she did the
Fallaway in a tuck, I just wonder how did she do it? But we will
analyze it and try to be faster.”
Coming down at number 40, Tina Weirather, daughter of Austrian
legend Harti, watched this race last year on the television and so
was delighted to have taken second in the race. Dominique Gisin took
third and felt that although it felt strange to be almost two
seconds off the winner, taking third was a great feeling. With the
girls heading to Beaver Creek to take part in the rescheduled Val
d’Isere races, Vonn is looking forward to racing on her home slopes.
With another Downhill and Super G scheduled for the weekend in Lake
Louise, one thing is certain and that is that Lindsey Vonn is back
in Lake Louise and looking in great form!
Results:
1.
Lindsey Vonn (USA)
2.
Tina Weirather (LIE)
3.
Dominique Gisin (SUI)
