Swiss Aufdenblatten claims maiden World Cup super-G victory

US top favourite Lindsey Vonn finished third at the Val d'Isere World Cup super-G as Switzerland's Fraenzi Aufdenblatten claimed her maiden World Cup victory.

AFP - Fraenzi Aufdenblatten upset a host of race favourites to claim her maiden World Cup win as the Swiss women dominated the women's super-G on Sunday.
  
The 28-year-old Aufdenblatten, whose previous best finish was a third place at the Bad Kleinkirchheim downhill in 2006, led a Swiss 1-2 with compatriot Nadia Styger finishing ahead of American Lindsey Vonn.
  
Vonn, the winner of Friday's super-combined, finished 17 places ahead of German rival Maria Riesch meaning the American now takes the lead in the overall World Cup standings.
  
Going into Sunday's race Vonn, the overall World Cup champion the past two seasons, was tied with Riesch on 521 points but is now the sole leader of the series on 581.
  
Vonn, the reigning world downhill and super-G champion, missed out on claiming a third downhill win in a row Saturday when organisers had to cancel the race due to adverse wind conditions on top of the Oreiller-Killy run.
  
On Sunday the American still started as one of the favourites but had to settle for third place as Aufdenblatten, starting with bib number nine in bitterly cold but perfect conditions, set the early pace.
  
The Swiss completed the technically challenging 2.14km course in 1min 26.43sec, and immediately after her Styger came over the finish line just .23sec in arrears.
  
Sweden's Anja Paerson was skiing a ferocious pace and looked to be heading for a podium place until she crashed, sustaining no serious injuries, just after the halfway mark of her race.
  
Proceedings were delayed after Riesch started before being given the green light to do so, and there was a further delay after Marie Marchand-Arvier crashed heavily.
  
Early reports suggested the Frenchwoman, who won world championship silver in the super-G in February, sustained no serious injuries.
  
Austrian Elisabeth Goergl, who had prevented Vonn from a three-race clean sweep in Lake Louise when she won the super-G earlier in December, failed to produce the same kind of winning form.
  
She finished 1.42 off the pace as the Swiss, Austria's big alpine rivals, finished with five of their women in the top 10.
  
Fabienne Suter finished in fourth while Dominique Gisin and Martina Schild tied for sixth place.

Date created : 2009-12-20