Vonn wins final World Cup race before World Championships on home snow

Vail’s Lindsey Vonn skis into the finish in first place Sunday. (Getty Images-Agence Zoom)

Lindsey Vonn will return home to the Vail Valley for next month’s World Championships with a record 64th career victory after taking a strong win Sunday over Austria’s Anna Fenninger in a World Cup super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Vonn posted a .24-second margin for the win, coming just eight days before she will step into the super-G starting gate at World Championships on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

The St. Moritz super-G course presented tough challenges for the athletes. “I was definitely a difficult course today,” said Vonn. “There was a lot of terrain and tricky parts.”

Her win came a day after a big mistake in the downhill dropped her from podium-challenger to 23rd.

“After a bad day comes a good day,” Vonn said. “Yesterday I risked a lot and it didn’t pay off. Today I risked a lot and it did pay off. I always like to ski at the limit – it’s what’s won me a lot of races and what’s made me crash and go into the nets. That’s the way I ski.”

The win carries Vonn into her hometown of Vail on a high note, heading back for some relaxation for a few days and final training for the Feb. 3 super G opener at World Championships. The Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Championships gold medalist has now won five races this season, including the last two super-G events.

“I’m ready for Vail! I feel confident,” she said. “I’m skiing well and hopefully it will be a good World Championships for me. I have a lot of confidence after having a few days of training at Beaver Creek. It’s a very difficult hill and one that requires a lot of tactics. But I am confident. I’m going to go in and ski my best like I always have and hopefully it will work out.”

The opening ceremony is set for Monday evening, Feb. 2, with women’s super-G the next morning. NBC and NBCSN will carry all of the action live.