ST. MORITZ, Switzerland - There is a new downhill queen of the ski slopes. For now.
Ilka Stuhec of Slovenia is the new world champion in downhill while Lindsey Vonn took bronze trying to regain her title in another season disrupted by injuries as she targets the 2018 Olympics.
Stuhec confirmed her status as pre-race favorite, finishing 0.40 seconds clear of surprise silver medalist Stephanie Venier of Austria, who had a career-best downhill finish of seventh before Sunday.
Vonn was 0.45 behind Stuhec, who led at all but one time check and clocked the fastest speed of 125.6 kph (78 mph).
Stuhec kept the world title in Slovenia as she succeeded the 2015 downhill gold medalist, Tina Maze, who is now retired.
In a breakout season, the 26-year-old Stuhec started by winning three straight World Cup downhills while Vonn recovered from breaking her right upper arm in November. That interrupted Vonn’s comeback from a knee injury one year ago.
Though Vonn quickly — and typically — returned to form in January by winning a downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, she acknowledged arriving at St. Moritz below her best.
“I felt unprepared coming in but I did the best I could,” said the 32-year-old American, who set a world championships record.
She became the oldest female medalist, taking the mark from Anita Wachter of Austria, who won giant slalom bronze days before her 32nd birthday in 1999.
“I’m old and I’m proud!” joked Vonn, who was four career medals in worlds downhills. She won her only gold in 2009 at Val d’Isere, France.
Stuhec fulfilled the potential she showed as junior world champion in downhill in 2008.
She never had a top-3 finish in more than 100 World Cup races entering this season. That changed with back-to-back downhill wins at Lake Louise, Canada — a course widely known as Lake Lindsey in tribute to Vonn’s domination there over the past decade. — AP
