U.S. skier Vonn prevails again [first back-to-back wins since 1984]

AP via The Seattle Times ^

[1rudeboy]

ST. ANTON AM ARLBERG, Austria — American skier Lindsey Vonn won't be able to fly home for Christmas because of the World Cup schedule. But the way things are going, why would she want to leave Europe?

Vonn won a super-combi Saturday for her second consecutive victory, sending her to the top of the overall standings. And for the second consecutive race, Julia Mancuso of Olympic Valley, Calif., finished third. Stacey Cook of Mammoth Mountain, Calif., finished 13th.

According to U.S. team officials, Vonn is the first American woman to win alpine World Cup races on back-to-back days since Tamara McKinney won a giant slalom and slalom March 10 and 11, 1984, in New Hampshire.

Vonn, who is from Vail, Colo., led after the downhill leg and finished with a combined time of 2 minutes, 20.28 seconds after the slalom. It was Vonn's third victory of the season and 10th overall. Seven of her World Cup victories have been in the downhill, including one on Friday.

After taking the downhill, Vonn laughed and said, "Well, I've got to back to the office tomorrow and do it all again,"

Vonn, 23, was known as Lindsey Kildow until she married fellow Olympian Thomas Vonn in September.

The next races are a slalom and giant slalom in Austria on Dec. 28 and 29. So for a third straight year, Vonn will spend Christmas with Maria Riesch at the German skier's home in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

They can toast each other's success. Riesch was the runner-up Saturday, 0.63 seconds behind. Mancuso was another 0.02 back.

Seventeen skiers completed both disciplines on the bumpy and icy Karl Schranz course — super-combi specialists such as Anja Paerson, Nicole Hosp and defending World Cup champion Marlies Schild did not finish.

[1rudeboy]

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