Lindsey Vonn edged Sofia Goggia in a foretaste of the Pyeongchang Olympic downhill on Saturday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, raising her career total to 80 World Cup victories.
The American standout beat Goggia by two hundredths of a second as their ongoing rivalry in alpine skiing's fastest discipline continued.
"It's a big number," Vonn said of her 80 wins, which is just six short of the all-time record set by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark in the 1980s.
"I remember when I got my 50th here, I never thought I would even get close to Annemarie Moser-Proell's record [of 62 wins] and now I am getting close to Stenmark's. It's incredible," she said.
"Also the timing of this win, coming into the Olympics," Vonn added. "I really feel strong mentally and physically. I never thought in my life I would get 80 wins so it's a big day."
USA's Lindsey Vonn captured another FIS World Cup gold medal, at the ladies' downhill event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. 2:07
Vonn skied a solid run but didn't seem to go to the limits as she trailed Italian rival Goggia by 0.08 at the last split time. However, Vonn overcame the deficit in the final section.
"I definitely skied aggressively, don't get me wrong, but I didn't leave all the cards on the table," Vonn said. "I hold those extra aces for the Olympics."
It was Vonn's second straight downhill win after Cortina, Italy, two weeks ago. She and Goggia are the only racers with more than one downhill victory this season.
Cornelia Huetter of Austria was 0.13 behind in third, while Vonn's American teammate Breezy Johnson finished fourth for her career best result.
Earlier Saturday, Johnson and Vonn posted the fastest times in a mandatory training session two hours before the race, after training was cancelled on the previous two days.
Win tempered by teammate's crash
Vonn's joy was tempered, however, by a crash that ruled her teammate Jacqueline Wiles out of the Olympics with a knee injury.
Shortly after completing her run and taking the lead in the race, Vonn saw on a large video screen in the finish area how Wiles fell, slid through a gate and went into the safety netting. Wiles appeared to have hurt her knee and had to be transported off the hill by helicopter.
Earlier, Laurenne Ross, who's working her way back after a severe knee injury, also crashed hard but she stood up and eventually skied down.
"It was really hard to actually be happy and excited and celebrate because Jackie is in the hospital," said Vonn about Wiles, who has been financially supported by Vonn's foundation.
"It's a really rough day for the whole team," Vonn said. "I am happy that Laurenne wasn't hurt. I think she will be really sore tomorrow but at least her knee is OK. We are just all hoping that Jackie is OK."
Another downhill on the Kandahar course is scheduled for Sunday, the last World Cup race before the Olympics, and Vonn was expecting another close duel with Goggia.