Vonn, Riesch set for 4-day, 4-race World Cup duel
By GRAHAM DUNBAR, AP Sports Writer 3 hours, 45 minutes ago
LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland (AP)—
Four days, four races.
Lindsey Vonn and Maria Riesch are ready to begin their showdown Wednesday for the overall World Cup title. After 31 races, four more at the World Cup finals will decide if Vonn wins her fourth straight title or Riesch, the current leader, wins an elusive first.
The best friends have elevated their rivalry to new heights this season, their closest contest yet for the giant crystal globe trophy. The finals start with their strongest event (downhill) and end Saturday with their weakest (giant slalom).
Germany's Maria Riesch speeds down the course on her way to clock the eleventh fastest time during a training session for the alpine ski, World Cup women's downhill final, in Lenzerheide, Switzerland , Tuesday, March 15, 2011.
“This is crunch time. I’m sure it’s going to come down to the last race,” Vonn predicted Tuesday.
Riesch has been runner-up the past two years, but the German has never led so late in the season.
“That would be great tension until the end, to decide it in the GS on Saturday, but we will see,” said Riesch, a double Olympic champion whose 23-point advantage can quickly vanish with race victories worth 100 points.
“It would be a great dream coming true,” she added. “But, if not, then maybe next year or the year after. I don’t have to do this now.”
Alpine racing has not had such a finish since Sweden’s Anja Paerson edged Croatia’s Janica Kostelic by three points in 2005. On the same Lenzerheide slope, Kostelic would have won had she been 0.09 seconds faster in the GS finale.
Vonn smiled while thinking of the number-crunching permutations.
“I’ve run a couple of scenarios through my mind how it could play out differently,” she said. “I can’t control what Maria’s doing, but I can control my skiing. So I’m going to give it my best shot.”
The American arrives with fresh momentum after gaining ground last weekend. A career-best third place in GS at the Czech resort Splinderuv Mlyn was followed by a solid slalom result, with Riesch surprisingly skiing out.
“As you saw last weekend, anything can happen. I have to keep the same approach, and ski with intensity, focus and determination,” said Vonn, who has already won the downhill, super-G and super-combined discipline titles.
Riesch reflected it was “not easy to keep cool” amid talk of her shrinking lead.
“It can go so fast from 96 (points) to 23. I try to just concentrate on my skiing and not calculate the points too much,” she said.
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