Vonn Completes Golden Double In Downhill

American Lindsey Vonn claimed her second gold medal at the world alpine skiing championships with a stylish victory in the blue-riband downhill on Monday.

Vonn, who had won the super-G in equally impressive fashion last week, clocked a winning time of one minute 30.31 seconds down the Solaise piste to win an event postponed from Sunday because of heavy snow.

Swiss Lara Gut, 17, confirmed her unique talent by finishing O.52 seconds back to win her second silver medal here after placing second in the super-combined.

Italy's Nadia Fanchini won the bronze, 0.57 behind the winner, on a cloudy day with sunny patches in this French Alps resort.

The first among the favourites to leave the start hut, Gut, wearing bib number six, produced a flawless run that nobody could match apart from Vonn, the overall World Cup champion and leader.

"I was very nervous at the start and I had asked my husband (Thomas), who normally waits for me at the bottom, to stay with me until I started," said the 24-year-old Vonn.

"Gut had a great race and put me under real pressure," she added. "When I finished I wasn't sure I had done enough to beat her. The fact that I did showed I had a perfect run."

Gut, strongly suggesting she is the future of women's skiing, said she had felt pain but was not complaining.

TOO YOUNG

"I've got a sore stomach since yesterday and I could hardly bend," said the Swiss, too young to have a driving licence but not to hurtle down icy slopes at amazing speeds.

"Winning a second silver medal is fantastic," she added.

The only woman on the podium who was not happy was Fanchini.

"I'm not satisfied with my run," said the 22-year-old Italian. "I skied with too much caution. I should have taken more risks."

Austria narrowly missed a medal with Elisabeth Goergl finishing fourth ahead of local favourites Marion Rolland and Marie Marchand-Arvier, who placed fifth and sixth respectively.

There was further disappointment for Swede Anja Paerson, who had beaten Vonn into second place in both speed events at the previous world championships two years ago in Are, Sweden.

The 27-year-old Paerson, who had crashed out of both the super-G and super-combined events, clocked the fastest intermediate times on the upper part of the course but then struggled and finished outside the top 10.

Paerson, who had come here with three titles to defend, has lost all three as well as her crown as the queen of speed skiing, now proudly worn by Vonn.