Vonn’s fans would not be let down the following day as she looked more like her old self,
ripping down the course 0.44 seconds behind Goergl to claim the silver medal. “Today
it feels like a gold medal,” said Vonn, who the next day announced she would leave the
Championships to continue recovering. “Lizzy [Goergl] has stepped up and she’s done
incredibly well. Her runs were amazing. I watched her run from the super combined and
I thought ‘wow’. She’s stepping up and it’s really cool to see. She’s a really hard worker
and a very nice person. It’s fun to see people really step up in World Championship
events.”
Goergl could hardly believe her own time as she extended her arms, ski poles dangling,
shaking her head in disbelief at her first top-level downhill victory. The win brought Austria
its 22nd downhill world title and the first since 2003. Her previous best downhill result
was second place in a 2007 World Cup.
“I liked the conditions, I liked the slope, I had great material,” said Goergl. “Everything
became one good thing. I had a good feeling, I could really go for it today.”
Goergl’s run knocked early leader Lara Gut of Switzerland off the top spot by nearly a
second. Gut was then pushed off the podium by three-tenths of a second. “It’s a bit stupid, I did the same in the super G,” said Gut, a double silver medal winner at the 2009
Worlds. ”Two times fourth place is not that fun.”
Believing it or not, Goergl took over the leader’s box and watched Vonn and Riesch go
from the IR list to the Kandahar.
A hacking cough couldn’t stop Riesch from performing for her legions of hometown fans.
She secured her second bronze of the Championships (the first was in the super G), 0.60
seconds back on only her second trip down the course after pulling out of the first after
two runs to meet the minimum training run requirement. Riesch’s two bronzes would be
the only medals won by the home team. “I didn’t think I would have a podium finish,” she
said. “It was good that my expectation wasn’t high going in this direction. I already have
done two podium performances so it is already a good Championship for me.”
The U.S. squad had a good day as both Mancuso (sixth) and Ross (10th) brought the
depth their speed team has been showing all season to the big show. It was Ross’s career-best elite-level result.
The team solidarity was visible as Vonn, who as reigning World Cup champ usually
debuts a fresh suit design at each downhill, donned the team’s Wonder Woman-inspired
threads at the request of teammate Leanne Smith. “Leanne asked me if I would wear
the team suit last night,” said Vonn in press conference call. “She asked me to wear it
and we could all be a team together and try to have success together, so I wore it today
and I think we were all really happy. We had some outstanding results. We have a good
energy as a team.”
Elizabeth Goergl rockets to
her second gold medal in
the downhill.
