US ski star Vonn to test herself in men's race

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‍US ski queen Lindsey Vonn is making a new bid to race against her male colleagues, as she seeks to push the envelope even further in the sport and add a new achievement to her name.

If successful, this would mark the first time that a female skier has competed in a men’s race at World Cup level.

Vonn, arguably the most successful female skier ever, is bidding to race in the men’s downhill at Lake Louise, Canada in November 2018.

The US Ski and Snowboard Association is expected to submit a proposal to that effect at a meeting of the International Ski Federation (FIS) in Zurich, Switzerland next week, FIS reported on its website.

Lindsey Vonn waves on the podium after the Ladies' Downhill for the 2017 Audi FIS Ski World Cup Final on March 15, 2017 in Aspen, Colorado. /VCG Photo

Further details are still unknown, “but this is certainly an anticipated topic that divides the FIS officials,” the report said.

Vonn, a four-time overall World Cup winner and 2010 Olympic downhill champion, already sought to race against the men in 2012, but her request was denied. Commentators at the time put her attempt down to a publicity stunt.

But the 32-year-old has remained undaunted, telling ESPN last year that her goal before she retires is to “beat some boys and then call it a day.”

The Vail, Colorado-native already holds the most World Cup wins for any woman – 77 – surpassing the legendary Annemarie Moser-Proell and just nine short of the male record-holder Ingemar Stenmark.

But whether Vonn will start alongside the likes of Kjetil Jansrud, Peter Fill or Carlo Janka at Lake Louise next year still remains to be seen.

In an interview in June, FIS women’s race director Atle Skaardal warned that “it will be a very difficult challenge to find a reasonable way of doing this.”

“If the ladies are allowed to race with the men, then also the men need to be authorized to ski with the ladies. And I’m not sure this is a direction we want to go.”

Stacey Cook of the USA competes during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women downhill training on December 03, 2015 in Lake Louise, Canada. /VCG Photo

Downhill is the fastest of the alpine ski events with top racers hitting speeds of 140 km/h as they hurtle down icy slopes between 2,000 and 3,500 meters in length in under two minutes. The women’s courses are however slightly shorter than the men’s.

Lake Louise would be the perfect venue for Vonn's test: the skier has topped the podium there 18 times - including 14 times in downhill and four times in super-G.

It is also one of the few resorts that hosts both the men’s and women’s World Cup, and where the downhill races for both are held on the same course, albeit on different weekends.

Vonn missed the last Winter Olympics in Sochi due to a knee injury and was out again for a year until January. Having made a strong comeback to clinch her 77th World Cup win earlier this year, she will be firing on all cylinders as the new World Cup season kicks off in October, ahead of what will certainly be her last Olympics in Pyeongchang in February.

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