Lindsey Vonn in Control

Lindsey Vonn of the United States won another gold and her second downhill in two days despite poor visibility in Haurs im Ennstal, Austria for her 4th consecutive World Cup downhill and 26th career WC overall to pad her lead in the overall standing over Germany’s Maria Riesch.

“I am very surprised to win the downhill today,” said Vonn, who started 21st. “I knew I had to make a perfect run. First, I thought I had to be aggressive, but then I realized that the weather was getting worse.”

Vonn, the first American woman to win the Super G, who is considered to be one of the best Alpine skiers in the history of the sport, is peaking at the right time in her quest for gold in the upcoming Vancouver Olympics in February.

She failed to land a medal at the 2006 Games in Torino due to an accident she suffered during practice that resulted in an overnight stay at the hospital. Nevertheless, even with a bruised hip, she elected to compete the following day (a move that also earned her the US Olympic Spirit Award) wherein she managed a respectable eight place finish among 45 entries.