Vonn Dominates Cortina Olympic Anniversary Races - On the Scene

(ATR)U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn became the most decorated downhill racer with a record-breaking 37th career World Cup downhill victory in Cortina d’ Ampezzo.

It was a weekend in which Cortina d’Ampezzo celebrated the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Winter Olympics. The female skiers raced on the famed Olympia delle Tofane piste, the same slope used for the 1956 Games.

Vonn, 31, moved one downhill victory past Austrian legend Annemarie Moser-Pröll, who she also surpassed in overall World Cup wins one year ago, also in Cortina.

"I think for sure the total World Cup wins is more important, but at the same time to be the best female downhill World Cup skier of all time is pretty cool," Vonn said.

The 2010 Olympic downhill gold medalist executed a near flawless downhill run, winning the race by 0.28 seconds over runner-up Larisa Yurkiw of Canada.

"I was really nervous today actually – I’ve won so much here and I think there was just a lot of pressure," Vonn said. "The more people talk about records, the harder it is to break them."

Vonn went two-for-two in Cortina, also winning a super-G on Sunday, her 11th career win in the Italian resort. She moved one ahead of Austrian Renate Goetschl, setting yet another record, for most lifetime wins in Cortina.

The women raced on Sunday with the Olympic rings incorporated into the Cortina logo on their race bibs, another tribute to 1956.

For Vonn, Sunday’s victory was the 75th World Cup win of her career. The Colorado skier is now within 11 of the all-time mark held by Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden."This place is incredibly special for me," Vonn said of Cortina. "I’ve broken quite a few records here. I’m always confident and happy here when I’m in the starting gate and I think that shows with my skiing."

Vonn, who is seeking a fifth overall World Cup title, moved past Swiss Lara Gut to regain the lead atop the tour standings.

Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein praised the Cortina race organizers, but said fan support was somewhat lacking."The track, the surroundings and the organization couldn’t be better," she said."The only thing that could better is more people. In Austria the crowd is so big, here the crowd is crazy, but it is not so much.It’s probably because the finish area is up on the mountain and not in the village, so it’s hard for the people to get up there."

Cortina Olympic Celebrations

Cortina continues its 60th anniversary celebration with a gala dinner on Monday. The Italian Olympic Committee executive board will meet on Tuesday, exactly 60 years since the 1956 opening ceremony.Guido Caroli, the final torchbearer at the 1956 opening, and medalists from the Cortina Games are in town for the celebrations.

Big Plans for Cortina

Cortina d’Ampezzo is expected to undergo a major facelift in the years ahead. It is expected to be named host of the 2021 Alpine Ski World Championships by the International Ski Federation in May.

Among the projects to be completed in the next two years are a water reservoir of 96,000 cubic meters to guarantee artificial snow on all slopes and better connections to the ski areas to allow for greater mobility and improvement to courses like the Olympia delle Tofane, where the Women's World Cup has been held for more than two decades.

"We are trying to organize the 2021 world championships to improve our town," Cortina Mayor Andrea Franceschi told Around the Rings. "We are very committed to this project and grateful to our fathers and grandfathers who made the Olympic Games 60 years ago."

Cortina connects to the vast Dolomiti Super Ski Area with thevalley being serviced by 30 chairlifts and 6 gondolas. A new cablecar connecting the town and future slalom run for the world championships is planned.

"I think in five years, Cortina will be much improved and even more special," Franceschi said. "We are very optimistic about that."

In addition to sport-related improvements, the city aims to improve accessibility and traffic, which are among factors that currently hurt Cortina compared to its Austrian and Swiss competitors.

Despite Cortina’s ambitious infrastructure development and modernization plans, Franceschi said a future Winter Olympic bid is unrealistic."The Olympic Games are very different than 60 years ago – alone it’s impossible, but an Italian candidature with trying some of the races organized in Cortina would be possible," Franceschi said."It would be special, it would be fantastic, it’s not easy, but you never know."

The Cortina region last bid for the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics, losing to Calgary and Albertville.

Currently, there is no railway linking to Cortina and the airport built for the 1956 Games has been closed for decades.Cortina’s hockey team SG Cortina – a member of the top Italian division – plays at the Olympic Ice Stadium, which was home to ceremonies, ice hockey and skating events in 1956. A roof has since been added.The bobsleigh track has not been utilized for World Cup competitions in eight years due to high cost of operations.

The glamorous winter sports village has previously hosted Alpine and Nordic ski world championships, but all in years prior to the 1956 Games.

Reported by Brian Pinelli in Cortina d’Ampezzo

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