Lindsey Vonn stepped into the starting gate at Lake Louise — race over. These days, on this course, it almost seems that simple.
Vonn won a super-G on Sunday to complete a sweep of World Cup races at Lake Louise, Alberta, for the third time in her career. She finished in 1 minute, 19.79 seconds, beating Tamara Tippler of Austria by 1.32 seconds. The margin of victory was the largest in a women’s super-G since 1997, according to information provided by the US Ski Team.
“Whenever you win, period, let alone by over a second, it definitely gives you that little bit extra boost of confidence,” said Vonn, who has 70 career World Cup victories. “I’m feeling great.”
The 31-year-old’s dominant showing on the slopes followed a week in which ex-boyfriend Tiger Woods conducted a series of interviews in which he seemed resigned to the permanent end of his days as a golf great and spoke wistfully of his long-distance, two-sport relationship with Vonn. The couple announced their breakup in May, and Vonn recently told CNN, “I still love him.”
Her first romantically unattached season in years escalated as Vonn captured both downhill races over the weekend to help her earn the hat trick. Vonn also accomplished the feat at the Alberta resort in 2011 and ‘12.
“That’s why I love what I do, because when you’re in the starting gate it’s you against the mountain and you can push yourself as hard as you want to,” Vonn said Saturday. “I still want to push as hard as I possibly can. That’s what I love. I love the adrenaline. I love the speed. I love the thrill of it. … Just because I’m older doesn’t mean I’ve lost any desire to continue to win and to continue to ski fast.”
What’s more, she has 14 downhill victories and four super-G wins at a place that’s referred to as “Lake Lindsey” because of her dominance.
“It was a big deal,” Vonn said. “I feel like there were some people that doubted whether I could win today.”
Vonn recovered from a broken ankle suffered in August, and needed stitches in her hand last month after she was bitten by a dog.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post.
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