Vonn wins downhill in return to the slopes

The American skiing star, needing some tuneups prior to the Olympics, was a winner in Austria, capturing the 26th World Cup race of her career and claiming her third downhill title of the season.

After her recent spill, Vonn had said she planned to take it easy until the Olympics, but eventually decided she needed the competition more than the rest.

"I needed this win today to get my confidence back on track and to feel like I could ski well again," said Vonn, who will be the favorite for the Olympic downhill gold medal next month in Canada.

"I was able to concentrate really well on my run. I'm happy with the way the weekend is starting and hopefully I can keep the ball rolling and have a good race tomorrow and Sunday."

Another downhill race is scheduled on the same course Saturday and a super-giant slalom event is set for Sunday.

Heavy show fell during the training runs Thursday but conditions were good for the race. Vonn moved back into the overall World Cup lead by 35 points.

Vonn covered the course in 1:38.34, defeating Anja Paerson of Sweden by .35 of a second. Maria Reisch of Germany was third and Nadia Franchini of Italy was fourth.

Copyright 2010 by United Press International.