ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) – Lindsey Vonn took a faster line in downhill training on Thursday, and that bodes well as she tries to fill one of the few gaps in her medal collection.
The American has never finished on the podium in five combined races at worlds and three Olympics since 2002, though she does have two season-long World Cup titles from the event that includes a downhill run and a slalom run.
Vonn has not completed a combined race at a major championship since her best result – fourth at the 2005 worlds in Bormio, Italy. At the 2009 worlds and 2010 Olympics, she led the morning downhill but could not sustain her lead in the afternoon slalom.
It gets no easier in Friday’s medal race in St. Moritz, where Vonn has skied on a slalom course for the first time since a World Cup race last February.
“It was interesting,” Vonn said Thursday of her preparation. “I think what my legs were doing was pretty good considering I haven’t skied slalom since the combined in Andorra last year.”