Winter sports: Julia Mancuso second in downhill, Lindsey Vonn keeps overall lead | The Salt Lake Tribune
Get news, sports and politics alerts

Click here to manage your alerts
Winter sports: Julia Mancuso second in downhill, Lindsey Vonn keeps overall lead
Winter sports » She takes fourth in World Cup event; Mancuso finishes second.
First Published Jan 07 2012 06:03 pm • Last Updated Jan 08 2012 12:29 am

Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria • Elisabeth Goergl of Austria ended Lindsey Vonn’s four-race unbeaten streak in speed events by winning a World Cup downhill Saturday in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria.

Goergl, who also beat Vonn to take the world downhill title last year, went down the 2.85-kilometer Kaernten-Franz Klammer course in 1 minute, 48.40 seconds. Julia Mancuso of the United States was second, 0.16 back, and Fabienne Suter of Switzerland was third.

Join the Discussion
Post a Comment

Vonn, who was bothered by a stomach ailment this week, finished fourth and maintained the lead in the downhill and overall World Cup standings. She almost skied out at the second gate and finished 0.55 behind Goergl. Vonn had won both previous downhills and both super-G races this season.

It was only the third time in all 20 World Cup downhills since March 2009 that Vonn finished outside the top three.

"It was a rough start. I didn’t have the balance," said Vonn, who spent most of the day before the race in bed. "I have been sick since Zagreb [last Tuesday] and I have not been able to eat anything, so I don’t have energy and I don’t have strength."

Mancuso earned her third podium finish of the season with her best downhill result since winning the final race of last season in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

Men’s giant slalom

Marcel Hirscher of Austria extended his breakout season by winning a World Cup giant slalom in Adelboden, Switzergland, to increase his lead in the overall standings.

Two days after he won the Zagreb night slalom, Hirscher finished just 0.08 seconds ahead of teammate Benjamin Raich. The veteran Raich used a blistering second run to rise from sixth and push Massimiliano Blardone of Italy into third.

story continues below
story continues below

Ted Ligety of Park City trailed Hirscher by 0.14 in fourth but maintained his lead in the GS standings. He holds a 380-365 point lead on Hirscher.

Bode Miller skied out in the top half of the first run, which 29 of the 66 starters failed to finish as visibility worsened on a cloudy morning after days of high wind, heavy rain and snow.

Ligety was second after the first run with 0.07 to make up on Hirscher, then was 11th fastest on the second run. He’s placed in the top four in all five GS races this season in defense of his discipline title.

Boblsed

Thomas Florschuetz piloted Germany 1 to its third straight World Cup victory to wrap up his first European title in two-man bobsled in Altenberg, Germany.

Florschuetz and Kevin Kuske claimed the event after just one run because the second was called off due to heavy snowfall. The pair edged compatriots Maximilian Arndt and Marko Huebenbecker by 0.01 seconds, finishing in 56.26 seconds. Switzerland’s Beat Hefti and Thomas Lamparter were third, 0.47 seconds back.

Next Page >


Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Reader Comments
Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, click the red "Flag" link below it.
See more about comments here.
What are those badges some users have next to their names?


Staying Connected
Jobs
Shopping
Contests and Promotions
Affiliates and Partners