Vonn Podiums in Rescheduled Super G

BANSKO, Bulgaria (March 2, 2015) - The weather finally lifted in Bansko, after a weekend of delays and cancelations due to heavy fog. In a sun-drenched, technically set super G, Lindsey Vonn grabbed third place. Podium regulars Anna Fenninger of Austria and Tina Maze of Slovenia went one-two—identical results to Sunday’s alpine combined.

After a tough alpine combined for skiers on Sunday, the Italian coach set a demanding super G on Monday. The race, rescheduled from Friday’s cancelation, tripped up many speed skiers, but the best were able to pull out brilliant runs on the tricky track. The surface, which was not good during Sunday’s race, hardened up overnight—perfect for a super G.

Running 20th, Vonn was a bit unstable on top—almost horizontal on the snow at one point in the top section—but worked to close the half-second gap in the middle of the course. She found that extra gear and skied into third place, .28 off of Fenninger’s winning run.  

“I’m happy with my run today,” said Vonn. “I made some mistakes on the top part, but I skied well on the bottom and made up some time so I’m really happy.”

Fenninger absolutely tore up the course. She even lost the grip on her pole on top and put on a show of high-speed multitasking. It didn’t seem to matter, as she skied down in front of Tina Maze by .16, which she didn’t lose for the rest of the race. This win put her in the lead of the World Cup super G standings, taking it from Vonn.

Vonn stands on the podium with Fenninger and Maze in Bansko, Bulgaria. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Christophe Pallot)

“Anna Fenninger is obviously skiing very well, but Garmisch is a hill I know very well,” warns Vonn, who wants the super G title. “I just have to have another good race, and hopefully at the Finals as well.”

Vonn had a tough day in Sunday’s alpine combined, fighting fog and inconsistent snow to a 24th finish in the super G. She did not start the slalom. “After a bad day comes a good day,” laughed Vonn.

Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA), Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA) and Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR) all skied into the points at Bankso. Mancuso grabbed 16th place, Cook was 21st and Ross 22nd.

Rounding out the American women, Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO) was 47th and Abby Ghent (Eagle, CO) was 48th. Jackie Wiles DNFed.

The speed ladies next head to Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany—where the men raced this weekend—for a downhill and a super G. These are the last speed events before World Cup Finals in Meribel, France.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The podium is a repeat of Super G at the FIS World Ski Championships in Beaver Creek: Fenninger first, Maze second and Vonn third.
• Tina Maze holds the lead over the overall World Cup title, with Anna Fenninger in second, Mikaela Shiffrin (Vail, CO) in third and Lindsey Vonn in fourth.
• Vonn is 32 points off of Anna Fenninger in the overall super G hunt.
• This was Vonn’s 110th World Cup podium in her career. Current record holder Annemarie Moser-Proell had 113 podiums.
• Universal Sports Network will re-air the race at 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, 11:00 a.m. EST on Thursday and 10:30 a.m. EST on Friday.

QUOTES
Lindsey Vonn
I’m happy with my run today. I made some mistakes on the top part, but I skied well on the bottom and made up some time so I’m really happy. The snow was really good today. They did a great job. For a make-up race, they had a lot of spectators, so I’m really happy. I’m definitely happier today than yesterday. Anytime you’re on the podium, it’s good. 

I’m not sure what happened yesterday. The snow was really inconsistent and bally. I don’t know what happened, but today they did a really great job and it was much, much better. The fog was pretty bad when I was going down and I couldn’t really see anything. Thankfully it was only a super combined and I didn’t risk anything. I just skied slowly down and I didn’t have any injuries, so that was the most important thing of yesterday. Today was better. After a bad day comes a good day. 

[On the overall super G standings] Anna Fenninger is obviously skiing very well, but Garmisch is a hill I know very well. I just have to have another good race, and hopefully at the Finals as well. 

Julia Mancuso
I’m satisfied that we had a race, and it’s beautiful. The conditions have been difficult and it’s cool that there’s a big crowd. I wish we got those other races – today wasn’t my best day, but it was fun. It’s still difficult today, but considering how the weather has been, it was pretty perfect for a race. It’s good, it’s sunny, and it’s a great day for a ski race. 

RESULTS
Official results