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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 8:04 a.m., Thursday, March 13, 2008

Skiing: Vonn just misses clinching World Cup title

Associated Press

BORMIO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn just missed clinching the overall World Cup title today when Maria Riesch captured the super-G crown by finishing sixth in the discipline's final race of the season.

Fabienne Suter of Switzerland won the race in 1 minute, 19.48 seconds, with Vonn finishing second, 0.26 seconds behind. If the American had won the race, she would have been the overall champion.

Riesch, a German who also won the super-combi title, trails Vonn by 197 points in the overall standings with two races remaining and 200 points at stake.

"She already congratulated me," Vonn said of Riesch, her best friend on the circuit. "She needs to win both events and she knows it's next to impossible. But not completely impossible."

Nicole Hosp of Austria finished 11th to drop out of the overall race.

Vonn, who had already secured the downhill title before Wednesday's final race in the discipline was canceled, had her best finish in a super-G this season. Suter won her second race of the season — and of her career.

"I made a couple of mistakes but it was a solid performance," Vonn said. "I wanted to get a lot of points going into the technical races and after the cancellation I knew I had to capitalize today. Now, hopefully I can go out and just ski comfortably in the technical (giant slalom and slalom) races."

Alexandra Meissnitzer of Austria was third, 0.37 seconds back in the last race of an outstanding career.

Riesch finished with 374 points after seven super-G races. Elisabeth Goergl of Austria was second in the final standings at 326 and Suter moved past last season's winner, Renate Goetschl of Austria, into third at 305.

Riesch said she probably lost the overall title by failing to finish three downhills.

"In two of them I was doing a fast time and maybe those 200 points would make a difference," Riesch said. "But Lindsey was totally dominating in the downhill, although she did not have such great results in other events."

Riesch and Vonn are close friends and Vonn spent three Christmas holidays with the German's family.

"We've been traveling together since we were 16, since the junior worlds," Riesch said. "We give tips to each other, we talk about the course, but we separate the private from the racing."