Lindsey Vonn wins 3rd straight overall World Cup ski title

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Lindsey Vonn wins 3rd straight overall World Cup

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany — Standing atop the mountain, Lindsey Vonn already was the best skier in the world for the third year in a row.

She didn’t even have to make her last run, but she raced anyway and won Friday’s super-G to become the most accomplished skier the United States has ever had.

Vonn won her third straight overall World Cup title when her rival and friend Maria Riesch was bumped out of the top two in the race earlier in the day. Vonn then bumped everyone else down another spot, winning the 33rd World Cup race of her career to put the cherry on top of what was already a wildly successful day.

“I gave it all I had. I have nothing more,” Vonn said. “I am the most successful American ever and I am very, very happy.”

Bode Miller, who took the last week of the season off, has 32 wins.

Vonn became the first woman to win three straight overall titles since Petra Kronberger of Austria in 1990-92.

Vonn won the super-G on the Kandahar course in 1 minute, 19.30 seconds. Elisabeth Goergl of Austria was second in 1:19.46 and Nadia Styger of Switzerland took third in 1:19.87, .02 seconds ahead of Riesch, who fell 215 points behind Vonn — too much to make up with only one race left.

“I am a little upset because I had really good race at the top but I made a mistake at the bottom, near the finish line,” Riesch said. “But I still have a chance for the slalom title tomorrow.”

Vonn said she would skip Saturday’s slalom because “my body is broken,” she said.

She finished the season with a U.S.-record 11 wins, four of which came in her seven super-G races.

She also won the downhill gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics and the bronze in the super-G.

“The last few years have gone really well for me,” Vonn said. “I’m so happy everything went well for me this year. It’s so hard to say whether you’ll be able to win the overall title. To stand here in the finish and have a title in my hand is so rewarding.”

Vonn was the last racer to go down the Kandahar hill Friday and could have chosen not to race because she already knew she had the title. But she knew what she could do with one more run.

“I said ‘Let’s go for the American record,’” Vonn said. “I’m so happy — it’s over, the season is over and I’m ecstatic.”