Sick, tired and dogged by untrue rumours ranging from the unoriginal (pregnancy) to the utterly bizarre (Tim Tebow romance), American Lindsey Vonn still beat the women’s field by half a second to complete an unprecedented second sweep of the Bombardier Lake Louise World Cup, winning her seventh straight race and 14th of her career at the venue, Sunday (Dec. 2).
Perhaps the greatest female skier in history, the sweep was another argument to allow Vonn the chance to race against the men at Lake Louise, a goal she’ll keep chasing until FIS relents.
“It’s not like I’m getting 20th every day and saying I want to race the men. I try and let my skiing talk for itself. I’m just trying to push myself. This is the next step for me and that’s all I’m trying to do.”
After making a major mistake on the fishnet section of the super G course, Vonn carried blistering speed down through the flats to make up enough time for the win, half a second ahead of teammate Julia Mancuso. Anna Fenninger of Austria finished third. No skier has ever swept the race two years in a row.
Still recovering from a stomach illness which landed her in hospital two weeks ago and feeling pressure to win after asking FIS to race with the men, Vonn was exhausted after the race, joking she was ready for a nap at the bottom of the hill.
“I was totally empty today. I woke up and I was so tired. I tried to do everything I could to conserve energy… did less warm-up runs,” Vonn said. “Now I’m completely dead. I could probably take a nap right here at the finish. But that’s what it’s all about. You have to give it everything you have.”
Vonn said the dominant win was yet another argument for her to race against the men at Lake Louise. The fact she was so weak going in and still skied so well is another testament to her skill.
“I was in a pretty rough place. I was sitting in hospital and everyone was skiing fast. I was thinking ‘Great, how am I supposed to get going? I have no training and no energy. I’ve never dealt with that. Energy is something you have to have to compete well. I came up here to have a clean slate. Give myself every chance. This sets me up for the rest of the season,” Vonn said.
As for the rumours, Vonn said she’s used to them.
“Do I look pregnant? Maybe I had too much breakfast.”
Alpine Canada president Max Gartner said he’s willing to help Vonn in her push to race against the men. FIS rules state no skier can race the course a week before the World Cup race, but Vonn said she’d be welcome to forerun the course. In training last week, Vonn reached speeds faster than the men, albeit on a different course with different snow conditions.
“She’s definitely made a statement this weekend by dominating the women’s circuit again and saying she’s ready to take the next challenge. We are certainly there to support if it goes that way,” Gartner said.
