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March 6, 2011

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Vonn claims downhill crown

AMERICAN Lindsay Vonn clinched the downhill World Cup for the fourth successive year when she finished second to Anja Paerson in yesterday's race.

Swede Paerson covered the Artico di Prampero course in Tarvisio, Italy, in one minute 26.91 seconds, giving her a commanding lead of 0.73 seconds over Vonn.

Vonn had already clinched the super-combined World Cup on Friday, for the second year in a row, and has a chance to take the super-G title today.

The 26-year-old American has won seven races this season and trails Germany's Maria Riesch by 136 points in the overall standings with two more events to go after this weekend.

Downhill and super-G world champion Elisabeth Goergl of Austria was second in yesterday's race, 1:17 behind Paerson. Riesch could manage only sixth place.

Paerson posted her first victory of a frustrating season hampered by knee problems. It was the 42nd World Cup victory of the Swede's career, improving her fourth-place position on the all-time list and moving her two in front of Vonn.

Vonn now holds an insurmountable 143-point lead in the downhill standings over Riesch.

Riesch was visibly disappointed with her run, slamming into the protective padding at the finish and banging her pole in frustration.

Friday's super-combined winner Tina Maze of Slovenia was fourth.

In Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Olympic champion Carlo Janka of Switzerland won a men's World Cup giant slalom race yesterday, 10 days after having surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat.

The defending overall champion was second after the opening leg and finished in a combined time of 2 minutes, 27.05 seconds for his first victory of the season.

"This is the perfect comeback for me," said Janka, who was diagnosed with a heart rhythm problem in December. The 24-year-old Swiss originally planned to have surgery after the season but then chose to have it done during a break from racing.

French teenager Alexis Pinturault had a blistering second run to jump from 16th to second, trailing Janka by 0.02. It was the first podium finish for Pinturault, who turns 20 later this month.

American Ted Ligety, who had won here for the past three seasons, was 0.12 back in third.


 

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