Skiing: Lindsey Vonn tops the standings after double success

Lindsey Vonn fought her way back to the top of the Alpine ski World Cup standings with her second win in two days at Val d'Isere yesterday.

Vonn, overshadowed by her great friend and rival Maria Riesch in the North American races at the start of the season, won a super-combined race a day after winning a downhill on the same OK piste. The double victory, her first in the French resort where she won her downhill world title in 2009, gave her a three-point lead over Riesch in the overall standings. "It's more important in terms of my morale than in terms of points," said Vonn, a triple World Cup champion.

Austria's Elisabeth Goergl, third last winter in the same race, placed one better this year 0.32 seconds behind the American's time of two minutes 7.80 seconds.

Former World Cup champion Nicole Hosp, also of Austria, confirmed her return to form with third place, 0.39 off the pace. Riesch, the slalom and super-combined Olympic champion, was fifth after a bad super-G leg.

The German, whose downhill was ruined by a sudden gust of wind, had problems with her skis on Sunday and said: "I just can't keep them in line."

Riesch was flown by helicopter to Baden Baden after the race to receive a trophy as the best German athlete of 2010, but will be back in France tomorrow for a slalom in Courchevel, hoping to recapture the World Cup lead from Vonn in arguably her best event.

Meanwhile, Ted Ligety won his third Alpine ski World Cup giant slalom in succession in the discipline's showcase race in Alta Badia yesterday.

The American, who became the first male skier in 15 years to win the first three giant slaloms of a World Cup, fended off a tough challenge by Frenchmen Cyprien Richard and Thomas Fanara in icy conditions to remain unbeaten this season in his favourite event.

The last man to win the opening three giant slaloms was Swiss Michael von Gruenigen in 1995-96. Ligety, a popular and exuberant skier from Park City, was quick to pay tribute to Richard, who missed his first World Cup victory by 0.14 seconds.

"Cyprien was the best skier today. He made a mistake near the finish but he deserved to win," Ligety said.