Vonn & Mancuso go 1-2 in Cortina DH Training Run
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (Jan. 15, 2015)—The women’s speed team looked strong in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, with Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA) going 1-2 in the first and only downhill training run. Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA) also looks for the podium, finishing in sixth.
Rescheduled from last weekend’s canceled Bad Kleinkirchhaim downhill, Friday will be the first of two downhill races, with the second taking place on Saturday. This double dose of downhills may permit Lindsey Vonn to break the record for World Cup race victories on one of her favorite downhill tracks. She is currently one win away from tying the record.
“I got my first World Cup podium in Cortina. I love the track,” said Vonn, who has podiumed at the Cortina downhill eight times, winning in 2013, 2010 and 2008. “I’ve had some really great memories and really great races there. My family is here too, so it should be a pretty fun weekend.”
Vonn inspects the course with the rest of the speed team. (Getty Images-Agence Zoom/Christophe Pallot)
Mancuso was all smiles after her run, looking for her first win this season. She has podiumed in Cortina downhill three times—in 2006, 2007 and 2011—taking second place each time.
Although Vonn and Mancuso had brilliant runs at Cortina on Thursday, they will both be battling Slovenian Tina Maze, who is trying to keep her overall World Cup lead. A quadruple threat, Maze skis all disciplines with ease, having already won a slalom, a downhill and a giant slalom this season. Maze was first in a Cortina downhill last year, as well.
Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR) cracked the top 20 in training, finishing in 19th. Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO) was 37th.
Friday's downhill takes place at 3:30 a.m. EST. Universal Sports will re-air of the downhill at 10:00 a.m. EST. Saturday's downhill is at 4:30 a.m. EST.
