Vonn Beats the Cold and the Clock in Downhill for 50th Career Win Lindsey Vonn of the United States captured her 50th World Cup victory by winning the downhill on the demanding Kandahar course in frigid conditions Saturday in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. With the temperature at 8 degrees Fahrenheit at the starting hut, Vonn trailed early but recovered at the bottom to win by nearly half a second on a slope that gave her trouble at last year's world championships. "It's crazy; I am at a loss for words," Vonn, 27, said. I already cried with one of the TV crews and that is enough crying for the day. Fifty World Cup wins is a huge mark for me in my career and more than I even thought possible. Vonn joined an exclusive club. She is third on the women's career list, behind Annemarie Moser-Pröll of Austria (62 victories) and Vreni Schneider of Switzerland (55). Among men, Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden has 86 wins, Hermann Maier of Austria 54 and Alberto Tomba of Italy 50. Vonn has 25 downhill wins, second behind Moser-Pröll's 36. Vonn trailed by 0.62 seconds at the second split and nearly lost her balance midway through the 3,200-yard course but regained her composure. "That wasn't part of the plan," she said of the near crash. I hit a bump and lost the inside edge of my ski and went onto my hip. From that point until the finish, I skied well and was able to make up some time. Vonn's winning time was 1 minute 44.86 seconds. Nadja Kamer of Switzerland was 0.41 second behind and Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein finished third, 0.79 back. "It was a tough race," Vonn said. Nadja Kamer had a good run. She was really fast at the top of the course. I am not sure how she did it; she may have had some rockets on her skis or something. She skied really well, and I knew she would be hard to beat. Vonn leads the overall World Cup standings by 482 points and the downhill standings by 230 points. She is on course to reclaim the overall title from her German rival, Maria Höfl-Riesch, who finished fourth. "I am just so happy," Vonn said. Every win is special, but 50 is a huge mark. I feel like today will be a day when I look back at my career and see what I have achieved. I have a lot more to do. I have a lot more years of skiing in me, but Alberto Tomba has 50 ski wins, and he is one of the best skiers of all time. Vonn celebrated a triumphant return to the German resort, where she had a tough time last year at the world championships. Coming off a concussion, Vonn, the dominant skier of her generation, placed second in the downhill. "I have raced in a lot of places and always something good or bad happens no matter what you do," she said. Last year wasn't the best time here in Garmisch, but I turned everything around this year, and it's awesome to get the 50th in Garmisch. GOOD DAY FOR CANADIANS In a great day for Canadian skiing in Chamonix, France, Jan Hudec recorded a surprising victory in a World Cup downhill race, and his teammate Erik Guay finished third in piercing cold. Hudec, whose career has been blighted by knee injuries and operations, won for the first time in more than four years. He thumped his chest when he realized his wait had ended. What can I say? I knew the day was coming," Hudec said. With temperatures at minus-15 at the top of the course, he finished in 2 minutes 3.25 seconds, followed by Austria's Romed Baumann in 2:03.78. Guay was 0.63 second behind the winner. Benjamin Thomsen added to the Canadian surge by moving into fifth place despite being the 50th skier down the hill. Switzerland's Beat Feuz was fourth, with Austria's Klaus Kröll sixth and Switzerland's Didier Cuche seventh. The top American, Bode Miller, was eighth.