ALPINE:

Vonn nabs 4th win of season, Janyk 15th in downhill

Jan. 8, 2011 

ALTENMARKT-ZAUCHENSEE, Austria — American Lindsey Vonn won a women's World Cup downhill Saturday for her fourth victory of the season.

The defending overall champion skied well off course in a sharp right turn but recovered in time to finish the 3-kilometer Kaelberloch course in 1 minute, 46.39 seconds to beat Sweden's Anja Paerson by 0.43.

It's Vonn's 20th career downhill title and 37th overall.

Austria's Anna Fenninger was 0.98 seconds back in third, while World Cup leader Maria Riesch took fourth — another 0.07 back.

The German remained on top of the standings with 883 points, followed by Vonn with 747.

Canada's Britt Janyk was 15th and Georgia Simmerling 45th.

"It's always great to win a race in Austria, it feels like a second home to me here," said Vonn, who usually spends a month training in this region during the offseason.

Vonn was the fastest starter but was not clean afterward.

"I almost ended up in the safety nets in the middle part," she said. "I tried to forget about that and gain speed again in the next turn. If you race aggressively, you can win much time on this course. ... my skis were really fast."

Riesch had struggled with the course during the two days of training and was glad to be on the podium.

"It's a shame to miss the podium by just 0.07, but I am very satisfied," the German said. "I definitely did better today but made a mistake in the middle part. I lost speed and time there."

Janyk is starting to find the consistency she has been seeking. Janyk crossed the finish line with a time of 1:48.48 seconds. Her best result so far this season is a 13th place in the Val d'Isère downhill event last month.

"I'm definitely happy with my race today," said the speed team veteran. "It's a step forward after Lake Louise as I really struggled there. The 13th place in Val d'Isère right before Christmas really helped me get my confidence back. I moved up in the rankings in downhill and I will keep working on some issues with my skiing. I'm very happy with this solid finish.

"Zauchensee is a fun hill. It has a little bit of everything, with a couple of jumps. It is definitely one of the most exciting downhill races on the ladies' World Cup circuit. It was a little warm today and the light was flat, but since I grew up in Whistler I'm very familiar with flat light, which gave me even more confidence this morning before the race."

Confidence, Janyk said, is also a key for USA's Vonn. "Lindsey is so confident on her skis," said Janyk. "In downhill you need to technically ski well but also be soft on your skis and Lindsey is good at that. She is always going for the win and pushes the limit, so even when she makes a mistake like she did today she can still win the race. She is definitely a tough one to beat."

Simmerling was the only other Canadian pushing out of the gate in Saturday's event, finished in 45th place with a time of 1:50.73.

A women's World Cup super-G is scheduled for Sunday in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee. S-Magazine

— The Canadian Press and Alpine Canada contributed to this report

Altenmarkt-Zauchensee women's World Cup downhill results