Skiing: Lindsey Vonn takes super-G for her first win this season

Lindsey Vonn powered down a shortened course to win a World Cup super-G race in Val D’Isere, France, on Saturday and clinch her first victory of the season.

It was the 33-year-old American skier’s 78th World Cup race win, but her first since winning a downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany in January.

Her last super-G victory was at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in January 2016.

The four-time World Cup winner clocked 1 minute, 4.86 seconds, with Italian Sofia Goggia second in 1:05.17 and Norwegian Ragnhild Mowinckel third in 1:05.25.

Heavy snowfall in the past two days meant that the Oreiller-Killy course was shorter than normal.

Vonn started sixth and gained significant time through the middle and bottom sections, although she almost lost her balance near the end.

Her joy was evident as she raised both arms in the air. She then hugged U.S. teammate Laurenne Ross. Moments later, Vonn hugged her father, who had come to watch her at the French Alpine resort that has brought his daughter so much success.

“I think I skied well,” Vonn said. “I’m really happy we had a race today, and my dad’s here. ‘Hi, Dad.’”

It was a welcome relief for Vonn, who last Saturday jarred her back early in a super-G at St. Moritz in Switzerland and completed the race in obvious pain in 24th place. She pulled out of the next day’s scheduled super-G, which was canceled.

Saturday’s downhill at Val d’Isere was canceled and replaced by a super-G. There is another super-G scheduled for Sunday.

After seven racers had started, the race was briefly held up because of heavy fog at the top. It resumed after a few minutes.

Lara Gut, winner of 11 super-G races in her career, finished in ninth place. Olympic super-G champion Anna Veith managed only 15th.

French hopes were briefly raised when giant slalom specialist Tessa Worley — fourth in super-G at Lake Louise two weeks ago — led Vonn by .06 seconds on her first split time. But like Gut, Veith and others, she lost considerable time in the middle and bottom sections and placed 27th.

Svindel wins big

Aksel Lund Svindal dominated the 50th anniversary edition of the Saslong Classic downhill in Italy on Saturday, leading a 1-2 finish by a significant margin ahead of Norwegian teammate Kjetil Jansrud.

For his record sixth win in Val Gardena — four super-Gs and two downhills — Svindal clocked 1 minute, 57 seconds for a 0.59-second advantage over Jansrud.

Max Franz, last year’s winner from Austria, finished third, 0.85 back.

It was Svindal’s second straight downhill win after a victory in Beaver Creek, Colo., and the 34th victory overall in his World Cup career. Svindal broke a tie with Bode Miller for eighth place on the list of all-time World Cup winners. Next in line is Benjamin Raich in seventh with 36 wins. The victory put Svindal atop the World Cup overall and downhill standings.

U.S. gets best finish of season

With the Pyeongchang Olympics less than two months away, a pair of young skiers who consider themselves “brothers” shook up the struggling U.S. downhill team on Saturday.

Jared Goldberg finished a career-best ninth in the Saslong downhill and teammate Bryce Bennett wasn’t far behind in 11th.

Goldberg recorded the speed squad’s first top-10 result of the season after six super-G and downhill races.

Team captain Steven Nyman, a three-time winner on the Saslong who is working his way back from knee surgery, couldn’t have been prouder.

“They’re establishing themselves in the top 30 and hopefully into the top 20 and keep chipping away and push for a podium,” Nyman said after tying with teammate Wiley Maple for 41st in his season debut. “This will be a big confidence boost for those guys and that’s what we need on the American Downhiller crew right now and for them in the future.”

UPDATES:

11:15 a.m.: This article was updated with additional men’s results.

This article was originally published at 10:15 a.m.