Vonn enters ski worlds with back-to-back wins

VAL D'ISERE, FRANCE — Lindsey Vonn couldn't have planned her run-up to the World Championships any better.

The defending and current overall World Cup leader won back-to-back races in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany over the weekend and tied Tamara McKinney's American women's record of 18 career victories.

"It's the best possible preparation I could have had for these World Championships, and I hope that I can just keep the momentum going and get some medals here," Vonn said Monday on the eve of the championships.

The worlds open with the women's super-G on Tuesday, with Sweden's Anja Paerson the two-time defending champion.

At the last worlds in Are, Sweden, two years ago, Vonn finished second to Paerson in super-G for her first career major championship medal.

After starting out by dominating a slalom, Vonn capped her weekend in Garmisch with a super-G victory for her first win in the discipline in two years.

"Garmisch definitely helps my confidence. Super-G hasn't been going that well for me in the past few years but yesterday was a great race and now I know that I can do it and I trust myself a little more," she said.

Vonn has yet to win gold at an Olympics or at the worlds.

"There's definitely a little pressure coming in to World Championships never having won a gold medal," she said. "I hope to change that."

The women's speed course in Val d'Isere, the Solaise-Piste Rhone-Alpes, is new but Vonn and a few other skiers made a special trip here last spring to check it out.

"I had already gone home for U.S. Nationals, so I had to come back to Europe. But I thought it was really important to get a couple runs in on the new course," Vonn said. "I knew what to expect for the free skiing today and hopefully that will be an advantage."

Bad weather altered the schedule in Garmisch, moving the super-G from Saturday to Sunday, and leaving racers limited time to get to Val d'Isere — an 8-10 hour drive. Vonn solved that problem by taking a private jet from Innsbruck to Geneva, then traveled by car for the final leg.

"I got in at 7 p.m. in time for dinner and went to bed," Vonn said.

Fellow U.S. Ski Team racer Julia Mancuso of Olympic Valley, Calif., made the trip in the personal bus she travels the circuit on.