GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (Feb. 6, 2016) – Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) absolutely crushed the Kandahar downhill course in Saturday’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup to take her record 76th World Cup victory.
Vonn’s winning time of 1:40.80 was 1.51 seconds faster than Switzerland’s Fabienne Suter in second. Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg was third.
Lindsey Vonn grabbed her 76th career victory at the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Saturday. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Christof Stache)
“It was a great day!” Vonn said. “Every day is a new chance to break my own record, which is kind of weird to say, but it still makes it exciting. Every win for me is more special than the last. And my dad is here, so it’s really special.”
Lauren Ross (Bend, OR) posted her fifth-career top five downhill result - finishing fifth on the fast and bumpy classic Kandahar track for her best result of the season. Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA) was 17th, Jacky Wiles (Aurora, OR) 21st and Breezy Johnson (Salt Lake City, UT) posted a career best World Cup finish in 28th. Alice Merryweather (Hingham, MA), making her third career World Cup start, finished 37th.
Laurenne Ross skis to a season-best fifth place finish in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Sunday. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Christophe Pallot)
Vonn extended her overall World Cup lead over Switzerland’s Lara Gut, who finished a disappointing 14th, to 127 points. Vonn also leads the World Cup downhill standings by 162 points over Canada’s Larisa Yurkiw, who was fourth Saturday.
Weather and inconsistent course conditions have been a challenge at numerous World Cup stops this season, and this week at Garmisch was no exception. In Thursday’s downhill training run - also won by Vonn - the course was slowed by wet, heavy snow. For Saturday’s race, it was a completely different situation with a hard, fast and bumpy snow surface, thanks to the countless hours the course crew put into preparing the track.
“It was definitely a lot different today than it was in the training run, pretty much a totally different course,” Vonn said. “It was definitely bumpy … and very flat light in some sections.”
“It was a little bit rough out there,” Ross added. “It was definitely a lot faster than (Thursday’s) training run, completely different snow. It was kind of like a super G day, where you really didn’t know what was going to happen; the line changed in places and it was really bumpy.”
Only two of the first seven racers crossed the finish line, including Wiles, who took the early lead as the next three competitors, including teammate Alice McKennis (New Castle, CO) failed to finish. Meanwhile, Vonn was watching the race at the start.
“I could see that there where some problems,” Vonn said. “There were some bumps, and the problem is that the bumps were right in the compressions, and also where there were shadows, so you couldn’t really see anything.
“It was definitely bumpy … and very flat light in some sections,” Vonn continued. “I was able to execute it well in the right places, and carry my speed through the whole course.”
Vonn goes for World Cup victory No. 77 in Sunday’s super G. Watch it live on NBC Sports Live Extra at 4:45 a.m. EST.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Lindsey Vonn won her record 76th career World Cup race, and her 38th career World Cup downhill victory.
- Vonn now leads the overall World Cup standings by 127 points over Lara Gut of Switzerland.
- Vonn also leads the World Cup downhill standings by 162 points over Canada’s Larisa Yurkiw, who finished fourth Saturday.
- Laurenne Ross scored her best finish of the season in fifth – it was also her fifth career top-five World Cup downhill result.
- Breezy Johnson, making her fifth career World Cup downhill start, scored her first points, finishing 28th.
QUOTES
Lindsey Vonn
It was a great day! Every day is a new chance to break my own record, which is kind of weird to say, but it still makes it exciting. Every win for me is more special than the last. And my dad is here, it’s really special.
It was definitely a lot different today than it was in the training run, pretty much a totally different course. It was definitely bumpy … and very flat light in some sections. I was able to execute it well in the right places, and carry my speed through the whole course.
I was watching all the racers from the start, and I could see that there where some problems. There were some bumps, and the problem is that the bumps were right in the compressions, and also where there were shadows, so you couldn’t really see anything.
Laurenne Ross
It was a little bit rough out there. It was definitely a lot faster than (Thursday’s) training run, completely different snow. It was kind of like a super G day, where you really didn’t know what was going to happen; the line changed in places and it was really bumpy. I’m happy that I was able to ski strong, and ski smart.
Broadcast and Live Streaming (times EST)
Saturday, Feb. 6
2:30 p.m. - Women's downhill, Garmisch - Universal HD
Sunday, Feb.
4:45 a.m. - Women's super G, Garmisch - LIVE - NBC Sports Live Extra
2:30 p.m. - Women's super G, Garmisch - Universal HD
RESULTS
Women’s downhill
