CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) – Lindsey Vonn is gearing up as the World Cup ski season winds down.
The 23-year-old American just missed adding the individual super-combi to her downhill title Sunday, finishing 0.26 seconds behind the winner for third place. But she’s still leading the overall standings four races left heading into the World Cup finals in Bormio, Italy.
“I’m feeling good. I still feel like I have a lot of energy left,” said Vonn, who won her American-record 10th downhill Saturday. “Maybe not a lot, but enough.”
The two top-three finishes allowed Vonn to increase her lead in the overall World Cup standings. She is trying to become only the second American woman – joining Tamara McKinney in 1983 – to win the most coveted title in Alpine skiing.
“Yesterday was really, really good. Today was good,” Vonn said. “Now I’m looking forward to a wonderful drive to Bormio.”
On Sunday, Maria Riesch of Germany won the World Cup super-combi title with a second-place finish.
Anja Paerson of Sweden was first in the combined downhill and slalom race in 2 minutes, 30.60 seconds. Riesch followed in 2:30.80 and Vonn was 0.06 behind.
Riesch won the super-combi title with 260 points, followed by Vonn (200) and Paerson (160).
Vonn was the last to ski the slalom after taking a 0.86 second lead from the morning downhill.
“I was fighting hard but I made a really big mistake before the flat,” Vonn said. “It was a bonehead move. I went a little bit too straight and lost all my speed.
“I wish I could have been a couple of tenths faster but I’m happy with my day. I continue to build some points on the other girls.”
Vonn still leads the overall standings with 1,263 points, 157 ahead of Riesch, who moved into second place. Nicole Hosp of Austria, who finished eighth, is third with 1,085.
“I don’t think that the overall World Cup is still a topic for me,” Riesch said. “It’s going to be tight between me and Nicole Hosp and I hope I can get second place. I think Lindsey will win it, so it is good that I’ve won the super-combined.”
Paerson won her third World Cup race of the season, all in Switzerland. She won a downhill and a super-G in St. Moritz in December.
Julia Mancuso and Stacey Cook of the United States ran into trouble near the bottom. Cook finished 23rd and Mancuso, on her 24th birthday, finished 25th.
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