Lindsey Vonn gets sixth Lake Louise win

Dec 4, 2009, 19:48 GMT

Lake Louise, Canada - American speed queen Lindsey Vonn claimed her sixth victory in as many years in a Lake Louise downhill ski race.

The downhill and overall world champion defied snowfall on a shortened piste to win the first speed race of the World Cup season in 1 minute 26.13 seconds.

Emily Brydon of Canada came second in 1:26.65 minutes and Vonn's friendly rival Maria Riesch of Germany placed third on the podium in 1:26.93.

Vonn won on the piste where she claimed her first of now 23 career wins back in the 2004 downhill and repeated the feat the next five years. Friday's success was also the 100th for a US woman in the World Cup.

The 25-year-old is the two-time reigning downhill and overall World Cup champion and won the 2009 world titles in the downhill and super-g.

'I didn't care about the visibility, I always go full speed. Of course it was a little more difficult. I like this course, I don't know why. But I get more confidence here each year,' said Vonn.

The American was bleeding when she crossed the line, saying she hit her knee in the face.

'I realized that I was bleeding. But I just thought that I must ski on,' she said.

Riesch, meanwhile, took the World Cup lead with 236 points from five races. Austrian Kathrin Zettel, who was not racing Friday, has 220 and Vonn is now third with 209 points.

Vonn can try on Saturday to win another downhill in Lake Louise, having failed to get the double when two downhills were held there in 2004, 2005 and 2006.