ASPEN, CO (Nov. 29) - World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), coming off an injury just 10 days earlier, finished fourth for a career best in giant slalom at the Aspen Winternational, the annual U.S. swing for the women's Audi FIS Alpine World Cup on Saturday. Olympic gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CO) also marked a U.S. top-10, finishing seventh.

NBC Sports, the Olympic network, will air the race at 1p.m. ET on Sunday.


Lindsey Vonn charges to a career best in the snow at Aspen. (Getty Images/Doug Pensinger)

The course, which garnered 19 year old Tessa Worley of France her first World Cup podium and win, was bumpy, snowy and saw 17 DNFs [did not finish] in the first run. According to Vonn, who suffered a bone bruise in her left knee last week, the bumps weren't enough to keep her from charging.

"All things considered, it was an awesome day. Coming into this race with only one day of GS training ended up great," Vonn said. "I wasn't sure how my knee was going to feel because it was so bumpy and it held up really well."

Vonn was in seventh following the day's first run, but had the second fastest second run to earn her spot at fourth.

"Lindsey skied quite well today. The course was very challenging because the snow was injected to make it hard and then we got new snow on the top, so it provided really challenging conditions," Women's Head Alpine Coach Jim Tracy said. "Lindsey did a great job on the mental side of things, which is so important, especially on days like today. She made a few mistakes, but she was able to overcome those and get good speed down at the finish."

"This is going to be the roughest course we have all season, so from here on out I think I'll be alright," Vonn said.

Mancuso, who was just behind Vonn in eighth after the first run, pushed it up to seventh for what she felt were two consistent runs

"I had two solid runs. They made the best out of the snow. Considering it was dumping all day long, it was actually icy," Mancuso said. "I'm excited I did have two solid runs without risking too much. I know there is a lot of room to go faster and I'm psyched to start the season off making it to the finish and skiing consistently."

According to Tracy, this is just the tip of the iceberg on what Mancuso can do further down the line in the season.

"I think she proved again that she's a race day girl and she stepped up. She skied even though she's not quite where she wants to be yet, and she showed what she can do on a race day," Tracy said. "That's a testament to her character and how she approaches racing."

Adding to the race day excitement was Sarah Schleper's (Vail, CO) finish in 13th place - a feat her coach said was a pleasant surprise.

"For Sarah, qualifying was a huge thing and finishing 13th on top of it was incredible for her," Tracy said. "We didn't really expect that to happen until later in the season. It just shows what she's capable of."

World Cup rookie Megan McJames (Park City, UT) was 25th for her second straight points finish of the young season.

The women race again Sunday in a slalom where Vonn hopes to race like she did when she won her first slalom in Levi, Finland.

"I'm really looking forward to the race tomorrow. It's going to be interesting going into the slalom with the red leader's bib on," Vonn said. "I'm a little bit tired from today, but I'm going to attack really hard and hopefully I can have a good race again like I had in Levi."

Coverage of Sunday's slalom will be broadcast live on UniveralSports.com and TV, with first run at noon and second at 3 p.m. ET.


Julia Mancuso carves down Strawpile. (Getty Images/Doug Pensinger)

MULTIMEDIA
Vonn Post-Race Interview
Mancuso Post-Race Interview
Schleper Post-Race Interview

Photos



OFFICIAL RESULTS
2009 AUDI FIS WORLD CUP
Aspen Winternational
Aspen, CO - Nov. 29, 2008

Giant Slalom
1. Tessa Worley, France, 2:12.86
2. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 2:13.14
3. Elisabeth Goergl, Austria, 2:13.57
4. Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 2:13.73
5. Kathrin Zettel, Austria, 2:13.89
6. Maria Pietilae-Holmner, Sweden, 2:13.98
7. Julia Manguso, Olympic Valley, CA, 2:14.05
8. Marion Bertrand, France, 2:14.56
9. Nicole Gius, Italy, 2:14.76
10. Tina Maze, Slovenia, 2:15.08
-
13. Sarah Schleper, Vail, CO, 2:15.62
25. Megan McJames, Park City, UT, 2:26.62
- (top 30 qualify for second run)
32. Leanne Smith, Conway, NH, 1:06.05
40. Kiley Staples, Park City, UT, 1:07.76
42. Keely Kelleher, Big Sky, MT, 1:08.67
43. Stacey Cook, Mammoth, CA, 1:10.28
# # #

For complete results click here.

MULTIMEDIA:
Photos and audio from Aspen are available for editorial use here.