Fischbacher storms to super G gold as Vonn settles for bronze

Alpine Skiing Vancouver 2010 Post a comment

Posted: Saturday 20th February 2010 | 19:54

Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver IT was supposed to be Lindsey Vonn's second medal of the Games but Austria's Andrea Fischbacher and Slovenia's Tina Maze hadn't read the script in the women's super G at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
UPSETTING THE ODDS: Austria's Andrea Fischbacher spoils Lindsey Vonn's party with Slovenia's Tina Maze sneaking in for silver in the alpine skiing super G (Getty Images)

Vonn played her part and took the gold medal position with a lightning fast run of 1:20.88 minutes with a second Olympic title seemingly heading her way.

But the American's run wasn't perfect and Austria's Fischbacher took advantage, beating Vonn at two of the three intermediates before romping home 0.74 seconds faster.

While the Austrian's performance wasn't a total shock - she finished third behind Vonn at last year's World Championship and second behind Vonn at the last World Cup in St Moritz - Maze's silver medal came out of nowhere.

The Slovenian is much more of a slalom specialist - her only major trophy to date, a giant slalom silver at last year's World Championships - but combined her speed and technique perfectly to beat Vonn's time by 0.25 seconds.

Vonn's American teammate Julia Mancuso, who finished outside the medals for the first time at the Games, set an early marker of 1:21.50 minutes which stood until Vonn's close friend and super combined champion Maria Riesch swept in to take the lead.

It looked like it might come down to a straight race between Riesch and Vonn - the two stand-out performers on the World Cup circuit this season - until Elisabeth Goergl, who struck bronze in Wednesday's downhill, trumped the German's time despite nearly losing a ski pole after a hideous start.

Vonn was up next and the American's charge to the top of the leaderboard never looked in doubt as she led Goergl's time from start to finish and celebrating with her arms in the air as she crossed the line, a second gold seemingly hers after the disappointment of skiing out in Thursday's super combined.

But Fischbacher ensured Turin champion Michaela Dorfmeister's title would stay in Austrian hands, sweeping down Franz's run with minimum fuss and maximum effect to blow Vonn's time out of the water.

The crowd were silenced, nobody expecting the Austrian to perform so well, despite her lying third in this season's super G World Cup standings.

Even more of a shock came three runs later as Maze finally claimed an elusive Olympic medal at her third Games, topping Vonn's time with equal ease.

And the American must be left wondering whether, with her least favourite technical disciplines of slalom and giant slalom remaining, her chances of another Olympic gold are finished in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, Great Britain's Chemmy Alcott went out second for the super G and failed to match the fluency of her downhill or super combined performances, eventually finishing 20th - one place worse than her performance in Turin four years ago.