Vonn Captures 4th Overall Title

27 year old Lindsey Vonn became the first American skier to win four overall World Cup titles when she clinched the 2012 title after winning her 52nd World Cup race today. Vonn edged Italy's Federica Brignone by 0.48 seconds in the giant slalom at Åre, Sweden and now trails only Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell who won six titles between 1971 and 1979. Moser-Proell is also the all-time leader in World Cup wins with 62.

Photo Credit: espn.go.com

Vonn won the overall title three straight years from 2008-2010 and just missed another title in 2011 falling just three points short when she was edged out by German Maria Hoefl-Riesch. Vonn left no doubt this year though clinching the title despite the fact that five races still remain on the schedule. Vonn is now setting her sites on becoming the first female skier to eclipse 2000 points in a single season. Skiers earn points based on where they finish in a race. The top 30 finishers in each race earn points with 100 for the winner, 80 for second, 60 for third, 50 for fourth, 45 for 5th all the way down to 1 point for 30th. She currently sits at 1808 points, so she's well within striking distance. Doing a little math, five 6th place finishes (40 points each) will get allow Vonn to reach 2000. The next event is the slalom tomorrow in Åre however Vonn has not won a slalom event since 2009. The season's remaining 4 events will be in Austria next week.