(FRANCE OUT) Lindsey Vonn of the USA takes 2nd place during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom on March 3, 2012 in Ofterschwang, Germany.
(March 2, 2012 – Photo by Stanko Gruden/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe)
ARE, Sweden (AP) – Lindsey Vonn won a World Cup giant slalom Friday to secure her fourth overall title, moving into second place on the all-time list behind Austrian great Annemarie Moser-Proell.
Vonn led after the first run and finished in a total time of 2 minutes, 28.0 seconds. Italian Federica Brignone was second, 0.48 behind. Olympic champion Viktora Rebensburg was third, 1.05 behind Vonn.
“I don’t know what to say,” an emotional Vonn said. “I just wanted to have two aggressive runs today. I felt like I had nothing to lose and I was having fun.”
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“I’m just really excited. I’m thrilled. It’s crazy,” added Vonn, the only American with four overall World Cup titles. She had been tied with Phil Mahre, who won three men’s overall titles from 1981-83.
Vonn won the overall three times in a row from 2008-2010. Last season, she finished second, just three points behind Maria Hoefl-Riesch. The German took the overall then when the giant slalom at the World Cup finals was canceled because of soft snow conditions.
With this overall title, Vonn surpasses Croatia’s Janica Kostelic, Switzerland’s Vreni Schneider and Austria’s Petra Kronberger, who all won three during their careers.
Only Moser-Proell has more overall wins than Vonn. The downhill specialist who dominated skiing in the 1970s won six overall World Cups.
Vonn now has 1,808 points for the season and, with five World Cup races remaining, looks set to achieve her goal of become the first woman to surpass 2,000 points. In 2006, Kostelic set the overall points record for women, amassing 1,970 points to claim the crystal globe.
Friday’s victory was the 52nd World Cup race win for Vonn, but only her second in giant slalom. She won the season’s opening giant slalom in Soelden in October to become the fifth woman to win a World Cup race in all five disciplines.
Vonn is third on the all-time list for World Cup race wins. Moser-Proell won 62 and Schneider 55.
Skiing: Lindsey Vonn wins giant slalom, clinches World Cup title is a post from: PhatzRadio.com
