Vonn Caps Dominating World Cup Title Run by Mastering Weakness Lindsey Vonn secured her fourth World Cup overall title by winning a giant slalom race in Sweden. She is in position to set a record for the most points in a season. That Lindsey Vonn won her fourth World Cup overall championship on Friday was not surprising. The victory was special - she is now second in overall titles among female skiers - but Vonn this year has so dominated her competition that the race has been anticlimactic for months. Alessandro Trovati/Associated Press Lindsey Vonn has won 52 World Cup races and two Olympic medals. "I've gotten on a roll, and it hasn't stopped," she said of this season. What was surprising is that Vonn earned her latest championship by winning a giant slalom race, the event that had once been her biggest weakness. In 10 previous World Cup seasons, Vonn had never been on a giant slalom podium. This season, she has won twice in the event and finished in the top five three other times. Which means that at age 27, and after 52 World Cup victories and two Olympic Games medals, Vonn is getting better. She has remained an overpowering force in the speed events of downhill and super-G and is fast becoming formidable in the technical disciplines of giant slalom and slalom as well. It does not bode well for the World Cup record book. "It's by far more than I could have expected," Vonn said Friday. I've gotten on a roll, and it hasn't stopped. After Friday's victory in Are, Sweden, Vonn is positioned to make a serious run at the record for most points in a season, held by Hermann Maier, who recorded 2,000 points in 2000. Vonn has 1,808 points heading into a slalom race on Saturday, with four more races next week. A victory in each race is worth 100 points. Vonn has a 554-point lead over her closest competition. Vonn conceded Friday that she had been thinking about Maier's 2,000 points for more than a month. "Trying to beat the 2,000 barrier is extremely significant," Vonn said. The opportunity may never happen again in my career. The women's point record is held by Janica Kostelic with 1,970. The overall championship is Vonn's 15th career World Cup title, counting season-long titles handed out in the five race disciplines. This season, Vonn, who has won 11 times, has already locked up championships in downhill and super-combined. She also has the chance to win the super-G and giant slalom titles with one race remaining in each discipline. The next record in jeopardy, even if it may take years, is Annemarie Moser-Pröll's record of six overall titles - the most by any racer, male or female. It has been a season of change for Vonn. In November, she announced she was divorcing her husband, Thomas, who had also acted as a coach and manager. She also switched to using longer, more rigid but faster men's skis in every race, a daring change. Vonn had been skiing on men's skis in the speed events, but to do so in the more turn-filled, precise technical events took courage and a resolve to always ski aggressively. Vonn called that decision the most significant reason for her success in races like Friday's. "The men's skis force me to take a straighter line," she said. It forces me to ski more like a man. There is added risk in that approach, but as Vonn said: "The men's skis are also more stable in icy or rough conditions. That's where they stand out. It gives me that little extra. There were other changes evident while listening to Vonn on Friday. "I'm having more fun with my life," she said. The whole season in general has been more fun. I've been able to spend more time with my teammates. As an example, Vonn on Friday night was heading to a party commemorating the 28th birthday of her teammate Julia Mancuso. While the two have been friends since they were young teens, their relationship had some strained moments during the 2010 Winter Olympics. If there was a rift, it has obviously healed. On Friday, Mancuso, who finished eighth, joked that a good birthday present would be if Vonn handed over her prize money for winning the race. Laughing, Vonn answered: "I bought her a nice present. Maybe next time.