MÉRIBEL: Lindsey Vonn took a further step to a historic 19th career crystal globe with victory in the season-ending World Cup downhill on Wednesday, while Kjetil Jansrud wrapped up the men's discipline.
Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill gold medallist, went into the race 35 points ahead of Anna Fenninger and 96 in front of Tina Maze, the Austrian and Slovenian looking to amass vital points in their battle for the overall title.
But the 30-year-old American, herself a former four-time overall champion, laid down a near-perfect descent of the 2.6km-long Roc de Fer piste, clocking 1min 29.87sec to win the 18th globe of her glittering career.
Vonn will have the chance to equal Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark's record of 19 crystal globes during Thursday's super-G, in which she stands just eight points ahead of Fenninger.
"I actually built a new trophy case, it has room for 23 globes, so hopefully I have a few more successful years," joked Vonn.
"Tomorrow's super-G is another chance for another globe and it's going to be tough. Anna's skiing really well, it's going to be soft conditions like it was today. But there's something about this track that really suits me.
"I'm going to give it everything I have, just like I do every day, and hopefully come out on top again."
Vonn has rebounded this season from serious knee surgery that required a second visit under the knife to break Austrian Anne-Marie Moser-Proell's record of World Cup victories that had stood since 1980.
After topping the podium in Meribel, the American's tally now stands at 66, four better than Moser-Proell. The win also meant Vonn tied Moser-Proell's women's record of seven globes in one discipline, the downhill, having won six straight downhill globes from 2008-13.
"The globe is a perfect ending to the season and makes me forget about world championships," Vonn said of the February champs on home snow where she came away with just a super-G bronze.
In brilliant sunshine which ensured quickly softening snow conditions, Jansrud bagged his second globe of the season to also guarantee he kept in the running for the men's overall title, with Austrian rival Marcel Hirscher currently atop those standings.
The 29-year-old Norwegian, who won the super-G globe last week, timed 1:40.86, 0.80sec ahead of closest rival Hannes Reichelt, the Austrian only finishing 10th.
But Jansrud admitted to feeling more nerves than ever before the race.
"I feel like I'm a calm guy when it comes to racing," he said. "But today was the first day of the season where I've had to really work with myself before the start.
"My heart was beating a little faster than normal... A lead of 20 points over Hannes Reichelt in really good shape was very little."
While insisting that every race was skied to win, Jansrud added: "It's going to feel a little less pressure (in the super-G) tomorrow, but I'm going to use that to my advantage."
Jansrud's victory was also the perfect boost in his battle with Hirscher for the most sought-after crystal globe - for the skier who tops the overall standings.
Technical specialist Hirscher, who did not make the top 25 skiers to race the downhill, currently has 1,248pts, with Jansrud now up to 1,184.
Jansrud will fancy his chances to cut that lead in Thursday's super-G, with Hirscher likely to come to the fore in Saturday's giant slalom, a discipline in which he has already won the crystal globe, and the potentially title-deciding slalom on Sunday.
Hirscher, the Norwegian said, had the overall title "in his control".
"For me the overall is not decided and I'm going to fight until the end," Jansrud said. "It's not very sportsmanlike for me to wish him to fail so I can win.
"My thoughts are more on myself and trying to ski as fast as I can, and we'll see what happens. Marcel's been skiing well all year and he's deserved the overall."
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