Alpine skiing: Vonn seeks redemption in super-G race
World Alpine Ski Championships begin today (Tuesday) in Beaver Creek.
BEAVER CREEK (AFP) - Ski legend Lindsey Vonn has some unfinished business in Tuesday s women s super-G race on the opening day of the World Alpine Ski Championships in Beaver Creek.
The 30-year-old American will bid to put the sour memories of the super-G race in the 2013 championships behind her and regain the title she won in the 2009 edition.
Vonn s high speed crash in the 2013 race resulted in torn ligaments in her right knee, a broken bone in her leg and her cries for help, as emergency workers raced to assist her, sent shivers through millions watching live on TV.
"I have more pressure on myself because I want to perform well for my family," said Vonn who grew up racing on these slopes after moving to Vail at the tender age of 11.
"Everyone is going to be there. I want it to be a really fun World Championships for them and have something to celebrate."
However, Vonn heads into the championships on a high after her win in the super-G at Cortina -- witnessed at first-hand by her boyfriend former golf world number one Tiger Woods -- last month saw her take the record for the most World Cup wins with 63.
She has since made it 64 with victory in the same discipline in St Moritz.
While Vonn will certainly have the home crowd on her side, she won t be the only star attraction in the super-G.
Reigning women s Overall World Cup champion Anna Fenninger of Austria is just eight points back of Vonn in the super-G World Cup standings while Swiss speedster Lara Gut is third.
Current World Cup overall leader Tina Maze will be looking to win her second straight World Championship super-G title after taking gold in 2013.
Maze, who also won gold in the downhill and giant slalom at the 2014 Olympics, is fifth in the super-G standings this season.
Ski racers awoke Monday morning to a heavy snowfall which dumped about 18 centimetres (seven inches) of snow on the Raptors course. The snowfall forced the postponement of Monday s ladies training run which was pushed back three hours.
The twisting and pitching 1,830 metre super-G course features a fall-away turn called the Peregrine Double which ends with a roller where the racers will catch air before they enter a dark, icy rattling compression called the Voodoo Chute where the G-forces will be high.
It finishes with the Red Tail jump which will launch the racers 18 to 24 metres of air into the finish.
Following the super-G the ladies will have two more training runs before Friday s downhill race on the same Raptors course.
