Flying Vonn strikes gold in downhill

Lindsey Vonn of the United States won the women's downhill yesterday for her second gold, holding off a stiff challenge from the Swiss teenager Lara Gut. Vonn timed 1:30.31 down the Rhone-Alpes course. Gut finished second, 0.52 behind, to match her silver medal in super-combined, and Nadia Fanchini of Italy was third, 0.57 back. Vonn opened the championships by winning the super-G last week for her first career gold medal at a worlds or Olympics.

"I was so nervous today. Lara Gut looked like she had an amazing run and I didn't know if I was going to do it," Vonn said. Meanwhile, Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway led after the downhill portion of the men's super-combined event. Svindal clocked 1:30.99 on a course shortened by poor visibility on the Bellevarde mountain. Bode Miller of the US was second, 0.04 back, after an amazing recovery when he almost lost control on the bottom half of his run. France's Adrien Theaux was third, 0.91 behind. Theaux was fifth in the downhill on Saturday.

* Agencies