Who will win the women's downhill at the Vancouver Winter Olympics?
The women's downhill race will take place on Wednesday, February 17 from 2.00 to 3.45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
LATEST: The favorite came good. Lindsey Vonn won the downhill at Whistler, with team member coming an impressive second. Later, in the super combined event, Julia Mancuso won silver, while Vonn did not finish the slalom leg of the event.
Whistler Mountain at Whistler Blackcomb Resort, about 70 miles from Vancouver, is the venue for all the alpine skiing events at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
Latest results
NEWS: On Friday, January 22, Lindsey Vonn won the super G ahead of Fabienne Suter, Switzerland, in second, and Sweden's Anja Paerson in third. Julia Mancuso, U.S.A., was in an unconvincing 33rd place. Vonn and Paerson are looking in very good shop for the Olympics.
LATEST: Saaturday, January 23. Unstoppable Lindsey Vonn does it again, winning the downhill at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Maria Riesch, Germany finished second. Anja Paerson, Sweden, and Nadja Kamer, Switzerland, shared third place. Julia Mancuso, U.S.A., finished 8th.
Vonn is the clear favorite for the downhill and super G at the Olympic Games. Judging by the most recent results, if anyone is going to stop Vonn completing the double, it is likely to be one of Paerson, Riesch, and a rising Ingrid Jacquemod of France. America's Mancuso is not outside the running for a downhill medal, though it is not likely to be gold.
We take a look at the contenders for Olympic gold in the women's downhill, which features Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso of the United States, Anja Paerson of Sweden, Nadia Styger of Switzerland, Ingrid Jacquedmod of France, Chemmy Alcott of Britain, Emily Brydon of Canada, Nadia Fanchini of Italy, and Maria Riesch of Germany.
Lindsey Vonn became back-to-back overall World Cup champion. She skied phenomenally. Remember, World Cup champions are best at their sport over an entire season. The Olympics is a different deal altogether.
In the Olympic downhill race, you have one chance to get it right. All your training, expertise, and daring has to come together in the race of a lifetime. Even a minor blip can see you drop from a medal position to some place outside the top 10. No one cares about near misses and might have been in the Olympics. Only the top three are remembered.
Using the current world cup standings (as of January 21, 2010) as an indicator of form going into the Olympics, Lindsey Vonn leads with 400 points, ahead of her good friend Maria Riesch on 236 points. All-round ace Anja Paerson of Sweden is third on 215 points, followed by Canada's Emily Brydon in fourth with 176, and Marion Rolland of France with 140. Julia Mancuso is in 11th spot on 90 points.
Lindsey Vonn: tipped to win downhill gold at the Vancouver Winter Olympics
However, the season is not very old. The ladies have only competed at Lake Louise, canada, which was won by Lindsey Vonn, two events on the Krummholz piste at Haus im Ennstal, Austria (one of these replacing a cancelled race at Val d'Isere) both won by Vonn.
From Jaunuary 20 through 24, the world cup circus moved to Olympia delle Tofane at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, where downhill training runs are taking place as we write. The downhill race at Cortina will take place on Saturday, January 23.
Above, Nadia Styger, Swizerland, tipped for silver in the ladies' downhill race at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Below, Emily Brydon of Canada, tipped for bronze.
For the Olympic downhill in Vancouver, we are going to stick our necks out and make the following prediction:
Gold: Lindsey Vonn, U.S.A.
Silver: Nadia Styger, Switzerland
Bronze: Emily Brydon, Canada
These will be closely followed by Anja Paerson of Sweden, Maria Riesch of Germany, Ingrid Jacquemod of France, and Julia Mancuso of the U.S.A.
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By Ben Foster
Readers respond
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Four years later and I am now 30 pounds overweight, flabby tummy, bulky arms, huge saggy breasts. I am about 160 pounds and 5' 3". My average weight has always been between 118 and 128 pounds. I have also been single (not even a date) for nearly 6 years now because of the way I feel about my body. I am inspired by what you write and think there might still be hope for me! Thanks.
How fast can you run a mile at 50?
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Don, Boulder Thanks for the great article. Great encouragement for me to get running again after a few years off after an injury. At 51 I hope to someday feel comfortable running 5 and 10k's, maybe even a marathon if I can be so lucky.