Vonn Eyes Downhill Globe in Are
Eight members of the U.S. Alpine Ski Team descended upon a very wintry Åre, Sweden for the much-anticipated FIS Ski World Cup Finals week after an extremely long winter. The crew will be headlined by Olympic champions Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) and Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.)
Not only did Shiffrin wrap up her second-straight overall title and her fifth slalom title in six years, as well as grab a third in giant slalom and first in slalom this past weekend in Ofterschwang, Germany, but she did it before she turned 23 years old on March 13th. Her win during Sunday’s slalom brings her to an impressive 42 World Cup wins, which made her the most successful under-23-year-old ski racer in history. Keep an eye on Shiffrin this weekend, as she’ll ski the most pressure-free she has this season, which has included 17 podiums, and 11 World Cup victories in 25 starts, plus Olympic gold and silver medals.
The big story of the week will be Wednesday’s downhill, where Vonn will fight Italy’s fiery Sofia Goggia – who is also a friend of Vonn’s – for the crystal globe. Vonn currently has a record 20 globes among men and women, including four overall titles (2008-10, 2012) and 16 discipline titles (eight downhill, five super-G and three alpine combined). Vonn (406 points) currently sits 23 points behind Goggia (429 points) in the downhill standings. Goggia is looking to bag her first World Cup globe in any discipline. Vonn’s eight globes ties the record for most World Cup victories in a single discipline as Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark won the slalom and giant slalom eight times.
Odds are looking good for Vonn who, coming into Are, has won the last three World Cup downhill races, including the second event in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy and both races in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. In Tuesday’s shortened downhill training run, Alice McKennis (New Castle, Colo.) – who was fifth in the Olympic downhill in PyeongChang, South Korea – set the pace, followed by surprise super-G Olympic champion Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic. Vonn was fifth fastest but knows where she can find the time. The women will ski another training run on Wednesday morning from the start, prior to their race.
Vonn’s still eyeing Ingemar Stenmark’s World Cup win record of 86 victories. She currently boasts 81 victories and will look to build on that count this week in Stenmark’s home country, likely with him watching and cheering her on. Buckle up for an exciting finale to this Olympic season’s action!
See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.
WOMEN’S STARTERS
- Stacey Cook (DH)
- Breezy Johnson (DH)
- Alice McKennis (DH)
- Mikaela Shiffrin (GS, SL)
- Lindsey Vonn (DH, SG)
MEN’S STARTERS
- Bryce Bennett (DH)
- Tommy Ford (GS)
- Ted Ligety (GS)
HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
ALPINE
Wednesday, March 14
5:30 a.m. - World Cup Finals men’s downhill, Are - Olympic Channel TV - LIVE
7:00 a.m. - World Cup Finals women’s downhill, Are - Olympic Channel TV - LIVE
12:00 p.m. - World Cup Finals men’s downhill, Are - NBCSN - Same Day Broadcast
1:00 p.m. - World Cup Finals women’s downhill, Are - NBCSN - Same Day Broadcast
Thursday, March, 15
5:30 a.m. - World Cup Finals women’s super-G, Are - Olympic Channel TV - LIVE
7:00 a.m. - World Cup Finals men’s super-G, Are - Olympic Channel TV - LIVE
12:00 p.m. - World Cup Finals women’s super-G, Are - NBCSN - Same Day Broadcast
1:00 p.m. - World Cup Finals men’s super-G, Are - NBCSN - Same Day Broadcast
Friday, March 16
11:00 a.m. - World Cup Finals team event, Are - Olympic Channel TV - LIVE
5:30 p.m. - World Cup Finals team event, Are - NBCSN - Same Day Broadcast
Saturday, March 17
4:45 a.m. - World Cup Finals men’s giant slalom run 1, Are - OlympicChannel.com
5:45 a.m. - World Cup Finals women’s slalom run 1, Are - OlympicChannel.com
7:30 a.m. - World Cup Finals men’s giant slalom, Are - Olympic Channel TV - LIVE
8:30 a.m. - World Cup Finals women’s slalom, Are - Olympic Channel TV - LIVE
6:30 p.m. - World Cup Finals men’s giant slalom, Are - NBCSN - Same Day Broadcast
7:30 p.m. - World Cup Finals women’s slalom, Are - NBCSN - Same Day Broadcast
Sunday, March 18
4:45 a.m. - World Cup Finals women’s giant slalom run 1, Are -OlympicChannel.com
5:45 a.m. - World Cup Finals men’s slalom run 1, Are - OlympicChannel.com
7:30 a.m. - World Cup Finals women’s giant slalom, Are - Olympic Channel TV - LIVE
8:30 a.m. - World Cup Finals men’s slalom, Are - Olympic Channel TV - LIVE
3:00 p.m. - World Cup Finals men’s slalom & women’s giant slalom, Are - NBCSN - Same Day Broadcast
