Lindsey Vonn has crowned her comeback season in spectacular style by winning back-to-back crystal globes in the World Cup downhill and super-G, but promised that more was to come next season.
After winning Wednesday's downhill, the 30-year-old American produced a trademark no-holds barred run down the Roc de Fer super-G in Meribel on Thursday to claim a second race victory in as many days, and a second globe for the discipline's best performer over the season.
A season, Vonn reckoned, many doubters believed might not even have happened given the gravity of the knee injury sustained in the 2013 world championships in Schladming, Austria, and the long comeback since then.
Her two new globes take her tally to 19, equalling the all-time record held by Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark. Her two victories also took her World Cup podium-topping tally to 67, a women's record.
"I knew I had to win the race to win the globe," said Vonn, who had watched closest rival Anna Fenninger of Austria set the fastest time just four runners before.
"It was a fun day, I did well under pressure. I risked it all and it paid off.
"I was definitely on the limit," she said. "I just kept fighting through to the finish."
Vonn insisted she didn't know anything about Stenmark's record until Wednesday, and was left blown away by the fact she had matched one of her childhood idols.
"Ingemar is an amazing legend in our sport and is someone I've always idolised," she said. "I'm honoured to be mentioned in the same sentence as him."
Vonn was left in no doubt that this season had been a good one.
After undergoing knee surgery after the crash at the Schladming worlds, Vonn had come back for the 2014 Olympic season, but re-injured her knee, forcing her to sit out the Sochi Games.
Her comeback included a downhill win in Lake Louise in only her second race back. And then in January, she tied and then overtook Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell for the most World Cup wins ever.
"It definitely is one of the best and most meaningful of my career," Vonn said. "I'm definitely more proud of myself than I expected to be this season.
"It's been extremely satisfying and it gives me a lot of confidence going forward. This season has been an overwhelming success and I'm very proud of what I've accomplished."
"I felt like this season has been a bit up and down," she said, noting a lack of confidence on some World Cup pistes she didn't know so well.
In a parting shot to her rivals, Vonn, who this season only had five days of downhill training and 20 in total, warned that she could only get better and would not be taking a post-season break.
"Next year things are going to be a lot different, I'll have the whole summer, so I'm really excited," she said. "It's going to be fun to get a normal preparation period... that will help a lot with consistency.
"I've got to get straight back into strength training. I can't afford to take any time off. I'll keep up the weightlifting for now."
As for the record World Cup wins of 86, also held by Stenmark, Vonn said it was not something on her radar.
"Mathematically it's definitely possible, but it's a lot easier said than done," she said. "It's not my goal, my goal's just to keep winning races.
"I'm looking forward to the next Olympics in Korea where I hope to get another medal."
Asked whether she was still as fearless as she was before her 2013 injury, Vonn was clear: "Yeah, I think so.
"Confidence is not the same thing as fearlessness... that hasn't changed."
Source: AFP