With only second-tier skiers left to race, Anna Fenninger of Austria appears to have edged Tina Maze of Slovenia and Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. in the Super-G race at the skiing world championships at Vail/Beaver Creek, the opening competition at the event.
Skiing 18th, Vonn nearly skied herself out of contention at the technical top of the course, falling behind the fastest skiers by almost a half-second. But then she used her strength to pick up speed in the flatter, lower half of the race and finished in 110.42. It was the fastest time of the day until Maze, the next skier, beat her by a tenth of a second. Two skiers after that, Fenninger turned in a near-perfect run to grab the gold medal by .03 seconds.
For Vonn, a bronze would represent a solid finish after she went through two major knee surgeries the past two years. The world championships Super-G spelled doom for her two years ago in Austria, when she tore ligaments in her right knee and broke her leg in a crash.
On a gusty day, the wind picked up as Vonn entered the starting gate, making the top of the course especially challenging for her. Vonn told NBC Sports she was “disappointed but happy” with a bronze. It was her sixth World Championships medal. She will race again Friday in the downhill.
1. Anna Fenninger (AUT)
2. Tina Maze (SLO)
3. Lindsey Vonn (USA)
