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February 13, 2017

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Stuhec is downhill world champion

ILKA Stuhec of Slovenia is the new world champion in downhill while Lindsey Vonn took bronze trying to regain a title she last won in 2009.

Stuhec confirmed her status as pre-race favorite, finishing 0.40 seconds clear in Switzerland ahead of surprise silver medalist Stephanie Venier of Austria. Vonn was 0.45 behind Stuhec, who led at all but one time check and clocked the fastest speed of 125.6 kph.

The victory was a shared triumph for the Stuhec family. Her mother, Darja, is the technician preparing her race skis.

The 26-year-old Stuhec started by winning three straight World Cup downhills while Vonn recovered from breaking her right upper arm in November. Though Vonn quickly returned to form in January by winning a downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, she acknowledged arriving at St. Moritz, Switzerland, short of full confidence.

Still, the 32-year-old American set one world championships record. She became the oldest female medalist, taking the mark from Anita Wachter of Austria, who won giant slalom bronze days before her 32nd birthday in 1999.

Vonn now has four career medals in worlds downhills, though only one gold eight years ago in Val d’Isere, France.

Vonn might have missed the podium, finishing just 0.07 ahead of fourth-placed Sofia Goggia of Italy who was fastest at the final time check before losing her racing line.

In the men’s downhill, the host nation Switzerland won the gold medal. Beat Feuz finished 0.12 seconds faster than Erik Guay of Canada, denying the super-G winner a speed title double. Max Franz of Austria was third, 0.37 behind Feuz, who took downhill bronze two years ago.




 

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