Lindsey Vonn Earns 50th World Cup Win [Video]

Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn captured her 50th World Cup victory on Saturday by winning the downhill on the demanding Kandahar course in frigid conditions.

The 27-year-old trailed early on and nearly wiped out at one point in the race but responded well to post a winning time of one minute 44.86 seconds in minus-13-degree weather at the German venue.

“I hit a bump and lost the inside edge of my ski and went onto my hip,” said Vonn. “From that point until the finish I skied well and was able to make up some time, but it was a tough race.”

Vonn is the third woman to win 50 World Cup races after Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Proell (62) and Switzerland’s Vreni Schneider (55). It was her 25th career downhill win, second to Moser-Proell’s 36.

“Every win is special, but 50 is a huge mark,” Vonn said following her performance. “I feel like today will be a day when I look back at my career and see what I have achieved.”

With her Kandahar victory, Vonn now leads the overall World Cup standings by 482 points and the downhill standings by 230 points. She is on course to reclaim the overall title from German rival Maria Hoefl-Riesch, who finished fourth.

“I have a lot more to do,” Vonn added. “I have a lot more years of skiing in me, but Alberto Tomba has 50 ski wins and he is one of the best skiers of all-time. I don’t see myself in that way, but to know that I have accomplished so much to this point is amazing.”

The super-G will close out the weekend racing at Garmisch Sunday and Vonn will again be the favorite in the race, hoping to clinch her 10th victory of the season on the same Kandahar 2 course.

Hear Lindsey Vonn talk about her 50th World Cup win in the clip below:
via ESPN