Page 21 - ATODAY

SPORTS A21
Monday 11 January 2016

Buck Hill ski kids Vonn, Ankeny score big in World Cup races

Lindsey Vonn speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women’s World Cup super-G, in Alten- two neighboring European second-tier Nor-Am Cup
markt-Zauchensee, Austria, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. countries — that shared circuit last year.
proud Minnesota roots. “I’ve been struggling a lot,”
(AP Photo/Marco Trovati) “It means a lot,” Ankeny he said. “This is just a huge
told The Associated Press confidence booster.”
GRAHAM DUNBAR World Cup skiers who grew first race points. after finally getting his Ankeny’s points-scoring
AP Sports Writer up at little Buck Hill, Lindsey They were big achieve- name on the World Cup two runs on the historic
ADELBODEN, Switzerland Vonn got her 73rd win and ments — at opposite ends standings with a 21st-place Swiss slope started either
(AP) — On a great day for Michael Ankeny scored his of Alpine skiing’s scale in finish in a slalom at Adel- side of Vonn’s victory dash
boden, Switzerland. down the super-G course
Vonn recalled Sunday at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee
that Ankeny used to race in Austria.
against her younger broth- Vonn swept the weekend
er, Reed, on the Buck Hill speed races one day after
slope. her record-matching 36th
“I’m really happy for Mi- career win in World Cup
chael!” Vonn said in a downhills.
statement provided by the Not bad for a graduate of
U.S. ski team. Buck Hill where Vonn start-
“It’s amazing to see yet an- ed as a pure slalom skier
other talented skier come on slopes with little vertical
out of (coach) Erich Sailer’s drop.
program.” “It’s really fun to see Lind-
Ankeny made his World sey destroying the compe-
Cup debut in 2011 but tition and setting records,”
broke through Sunday af- said Ankeny, who is six
ter topping the overall and years younger than Vonn
slalom standings on the and stayed with slalom.
Ankeny describes their
Kristoffersen edges Hirscher again to win World Cup slalom childhood slopes — “about
100 meters (300 feet) long
GRAHAM DUNBAR will be pretty happy,” said Still, Hirscher extended his “From the last pitch down, I and pretty flat” — as a
AP Sports Writer Kristoffersen, who has beat- lead in the overall stand- skied really good in the sec- good grounding.
ADELBODEN, Switzerland en Hirscher three times with ings as he seeks a fifth ond run,” said the 21-year- “It makes you really fast
(AP) — Henrik Kristoffersen just one loss. straight title. old racer. His seventh ca- and able to generate
won another duel with Mar- Aleksander Khoroshilov of Fog shrouded the course reer World Cup win was speed. That’s an advan-
cel Hirscher in a World Cup Russia, the first-run leader, and hid second-run rac- his sixth in slalom as he re- tage,” he said.
slalom on Sunday to extend was third, trailing .60 be- ers cresting the hill into the places Felix Neureuther of Last month, Vonn also
his lead in the standings. hind Kristoffersen’s two-run steep final section from the Germany as Hirscher’s big- credited Buck Hill for help-
The Norwegian racer time of 1 minute, 51.34 sec- view of fans in the finish gest rival in the technical ing her to a rare World Cup
edged Austrian Hirscher by onds. area. discipline. giant slalom win under
.06 seconds as they com- The same three racers filled Kristoffersen came into the Racing started in the morn- floodlights at Are, Sweden.
bined to finish 1-2 for the the podium places on picture slicing through the ing despite fog and falling “When I was a kid I always
fourth straight World Cup Wednesday at Santa Ca- gates faster than anyone snow on a course judged trained under the lights
slalom this season. terina, Italy, where Hirscher to make up time he lost on unsafe for Saturday’s gi- after school,” said Vonn,
“If we keep switching plac- got his only slalom win this the darker and foggy top ant slalom, which was who came from Burnsville
es the whole season then I season. section. canceled.q while Ankeny is a native of
Deephaven. q