Published January 31, 2010
Vonn's downhill win streak ends with fifth-place finish
THE OLYMPIANLindsey Vonn is no longer perfect in downhill races. Not to worry, she says. It might help her win an Olympic title. Vonn, the world champion and two-time World Cup champ in the event, is now a mere 5-for-6 this season. She placed fifth Saturday in St. Moritz, Switzerland after her ski hit a hole in a race won by Germany’s Maria Riesch. The American had actually won six straight, dating to last season. Vonn’s next test in the downhill is a big one – the Vancouver Games on Feb. 17. Elsewhere Marcel Hirscher of Austria won a World Cup giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, while Ted Ligety finished third on a bumpy course the day after his victory in this same event. … Olympic medal contender Didier Cuche is expected to ski again next week after a successful operation on his broken right thumb. … Americans Lindsey Jacobellis and Nate Holland defended their Winter X Games titles in snowboardcross in Aspen, Colorado.