American Vonn wins World Cup slalom opener

Lindsey Vonn felt right at home north of the Arctic Circle.

Picking up where she left off last season, the defending overall champion won the World Cup slalom opener Saturday. Vonn, a speed specialist from Burnsville, Minn., had never finished among the top three in the slalom before. She called her performance "mind-boggling."

"This is such an incredible way to start the season," she said. "There's no way I could have predicted my first win would be a slalom."

Vonn overcame a big mistake late in the second run for a total time of 1:47.98 on Levi's Black Course.

"I was going a little bit too straight," Vonn said. "The course was getting a bit tighter and I was just kind of sitting back a little bit and pretty much stopped. I realized my mistake and just thought I had to give everything I had."

Vonn led Nicole Hosp of Austria by 0.22 seconds after the first run and ended up beating runner-up Maria Pietilae-Holmner of Sweden by 0.40. Maria Riesch of Germany was third, 0.66 behind. Hosp, who was runner-up in the overall standings last year, finished fourth.

"This was completely wild," U.S. coach Trevor Wagner said. "If you were to ask me when Vonn would get her first win of the year, everyone would say Lake Louise, but she totally deserved this. Halfway down she shot way out and was completely off the gate, but then threw it into another gear and hammered all the way to the finish."

Vonn's best career slalom results have come at Levi, the world's northernmost World Cup venue. She was fourth and sixth in back-to-back slaloms on this course in 2006.

"My family is from Scandinavia," Vonn said. "The landscape is so similar to back home. I definitely feel at home."

Vonn, who has 13 World Cup wins in speed events, seems to be in good shape to repeat her success from last season.

"My goal is to defend the overall title," she said. "Before this race, my goal was just to try to get a few points in slalom and giant slalom. Now I think things have changed a little bit. Doing well today gives me a lot less pressure for downhill and super-G."

Sarah Schleper, another American, qualified for the second run in only her second World Cup race after a two-year hiatus from racing. She finished last in 25th place.

Before the giant slalom races at Soelden, Austria, three weeks ago, Schleper's last race was March 2006 in Norway, where she tore a knee ligament. After missing the 2007 season to rehab, she also gave birth to a son.

The men's slalom, featuring defending overall champion Bode Miller of the United States, is Sunday on the same course.