Skiing: Lyndsey Vonn wins skiing World Cup with five races to go

Vonn now leads closest rival Tina Maze of Slovenia by 554 points with five races – and a maximum 500 points – left in the season. It was Vonn’s fourth overall World Cup after winning it in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Vonn has also won the downhill and super-combined World Cup titles this season and is placed to add the super-G trophy at the World Cup finals in Schladming, Austria, next week. She is also in contention in the giant slalom competition, trailing Olympic champion Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany by 95 points with one race to go.

Vonn had never won a giant slalom race before this season but collected her maiden win in the discipline in the season-opener in Soelden, Austria.

“I’m just thrilled,” Vonn said after beating Italian Federica Brignone by 0.48 seconds to collect her 52nd World Cup win.

Rebensburg, who could have wrapped up her second successive giant slalom cup by finishing second, was third in yesterday’s race, 1:05 seconds behind Vonn.

“I was very nervous because it was the first time I found myself in the lead after the first run of a giant slalom,” said Vonn, who clocked a combined time of two minutes 28 seconds. “I was alone up there and I told myself I could not miss that chance. It had nothing to do with the World Cup. It was about the race itself.

The 27-year-old Vonn is the first American skier to win four overall titles and she has won 11 races this season. The winter did not start ideally, as she announced her divorce from coach and mentor Thomas Vonn, but her personal problems have not hampered her performance.