Maria Hoefl-Riesch denied Lindsey Vonn a hat-trick of wins in St Moritz this weekend by winning Sunday's super-combined.
Hoefl-Riesch wins super-combined by narrow margin in St Moritz
Maria Hoefl-Riesch denied Lindsey Vonn a hat-trick of wins in St Moritz this weekend by winning Sunday's super-combined by 0.03 seconds.
Vonn, bidding for a 50th career World Cup win after taking Friday's super-combined and the following day's downhill, led at halfway after the opening super-G leg.
But a couple of small mistakes meant she held only a 0.23sec lead over great friend and rival Hoefl-Riesch, who is known as the better slalom skier.
And so it proved after the German overhauled the time set by Nicole Hosp to go into the lead, before watching anxiously as Vonn let her advantage slip in the closing stages.
The win completed the return to form of Hoefl-Riesch, who was second to Vonn in the downhill and was recording her first win of the campaign.
"I'm really glad. Victory is even sweeter when you have been waiting for it," she said. "It's been a tough time for me. I've been criticised, questioned.
"But since I took a break in Bad Kleinkirchheim, things have been improving.
"I was lucky that they changed the spot of the slalom today as the snow was softer, with a better grip and I could give it my all."
It was also an excellent weekend for Austrian Hosp, who had finished third in Friday's super-combi and came from 28th position after the super-G on Sunday to post a time bettered only by the last two starters.
But despite the defeat, Vonn's success over the weekend sees her stretch the lead in the overall standings to 387 points over Tina Maze of Slovenia, with defending champion Hoefl-Riesch moving up to third a further 167 back.
