Stuhec spoils Vonn’s farewell party at worlds

ARE, SWEDEN >> The Lindsey Vonn circus had rolled back into town, and that suited Ilka Stuhec just fine.

All the talk at the world championships on Sunday was whether Vonn could mark the last race of her career with a victory in the downhill. The spotlight, as ever, was almost totally on the American.

Stuhec ended up spoiling the party.

With Vonn sitting on the leader’s throne and the potential of a glorious finale increasing by the minute, Stuhec produced a virtually flawless run from No. 9 in the field to top her rival and become the first woman to retain the world downhill title since Maria Walliser in 1989.

Vonn, who finished third, still hogged the limelight. She was the last skier to leave the finish area after all the celebrations with her family and friends, the person the legion of photographers wanted to snap, the one Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark had traveled to watch.

— The Associated Press