Vonn poised for third straight World Cup overall title (News Feature)

By Michael Becker Mar 9, 2010, 10:20 GMT

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany - Lindsey Vonn is poised to win her third straight World Cup title when the alpine ski season reaches its climax from Wednesday at Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Seven of the 12 titles - including the men's and women's overall trophies - are still up for grabs over four days of racing at the German resort, which next year hosts the world championships.

Vonn, the freshly-crowned downhill Olympic champion, is seeking to add to her collection of crystal globes by winning the overall title after her triumphs in 2008 and 2009.

The 25-year-old American has already clinched a third straight World Cup downhill title, the super-g and the super combined.

With a 245-point lead overall on Germany's Maria Riesch, she could, in fact, secure the overall title in Wednesday's downhill if she wins and Riesch fails to finish in the top five.

Vonn has been the dominant force in downhill, winning six of the seven races this season and also drawing level with Bode Miller's previous US record of 32 World Cup victories.

Vonn, who also won a super-g bronze last month at the Vancouver Games, has now overcome her leg injury and broken little finger.

'I am skiing more relaxed. Since the Olympics, I've had a lot less on my mind. I'm able to ski the way I want to ski, and ski relaxed,' she said in a contribution for the Denver Post.

'The overall title is on the line, and there's a lot that could be stressing me out, but I feel great.

'The World Cup finals this week are here in the hometown of Maria Riesch, the only woman who can overtake me in the overall chase.

'She does have an advantage there, but she does have a lot of pressure and I think she's going to feel that a lot. She's going to give it everything she has, and I'm counting on that.'

Riesch herself admits the overall title is now virtually beyond her, but the double gold medallist from the Vancouver Games is keen to defend her slalom title where Austria's Kathrin Zettel and Sandrine Aubert of France are a threat.

'I simply want to have some good races in all the disciplines, have fun, enjoy the whole thing and hopefully win the slalom title,' she said.

Fellow German Kathrin Hoelzl is also hoping to clinch the giant slalom title, going into Thursday's race with a narrow lead over Zettel.

The men's overall title race is a much closer affair, where Benjamin Raich of Austria leads on 1,019 points ahead of Carlo Janka of Switzerland (973), Didier Cuche of Switzerland (846) and Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway (801).

Raich in the super combined and Cuche in the downhill have already won World Cup titles this season, but the slalom, giant slalom and super-g disciplines are still to be decided.

Reinfried Herbst of Austria on 505 points leads the slalom standings ahead of Julien Lizeroux of France (462).

Ted Ligety of the United States is ahead in the giant slalom on 352 points, followed by Massimiliano Blardone of Italy (309) and Marcel Hirscher of Austria (306).

The super-g standings are led by Michael Walchhofer of Austria (300), ahead of Svindal (254) and Canada's Erik Guay (231).

The four days of individual races will be followed on Sunday by the mixed-gender team event which will for the first time be raced in parallel giant slalom format.