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December 22, 2013

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Kaufmann-Abderhalden wins downhill as Vonn crashes out

Swiss Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden recorded her first World Cup win yesterday, triumphing in the downhill at the French resort of Val-d’Isere.

The unheralded 27-year-old, in a time of 1 minute, 47.28 seconds, finished 0.29 seconds ahead of Slovenia’s Tina Maze, with Austria’s Cornelia Huetter in third a further 0.23 adrift.

But the event down the 2.9-kilometer-long course in brilliant sunshine was marred by several crashes, with Olympic downhill champion Lindsey Vonn, under the watchful eye of her boyfriend Tiger Woods, skiing out.

“Unfortunately I have no ACL and it just gave out on me,” Vonn said. “It was a small compression and it was fully loaded on the right ski and my knee just completely gave out. I tried to pressure the ski again and it gave out again.”

The American said she would now compete in just one or two races before the Sochi Olympics in February in a bid to rest her knee. “I just need to be careful about how many races I do,” she said. “I’m at risk of doing more damage to my knee and my meniscus and things like that so I’m going to play it safe and race minimal races and the feeling of racing again.”

In Val Gardena, Italy,  Canada’s Erik Guay gained a measure of revenge by winning the downhill yesterday, a year after missing out on the victory because of changing weather.

Guay timed 1 minute, 56.65 seconds down the Saslong course, making up time over the last few gates to edge Kjetil Jansrud of Norway by 0.12 seconds.

Johan Clarey of France finished third, 0.24 back, and overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal was fourth, 0.29 behind.

Guay thought he had won this race last year until a drastic weather change helped later starters on a shortened course, with Steven Nyman of the United States taking the win and Rok Perko of Slovenia claiming second, relegating Guay to third.


 

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