Lindsey Vonn

WHISTLER, British Columbia - At the bottom of the mountain, Stacey Cook was reliving an Olympic run that was more satisfying than scintillating. The U.S. skier had overcome the fear lingering from her training-run crash, had this time outmuscled the high-octane and bumpy downhill course that had already sent an alarming number of accomplished skiers crashing into gates, into fences, nose-diving into horrific sprawls from a final jump that lay just above the finish line, and the crowd's view.

IT'S THAT TIME again. That time once every 2 years when the greatest athletes rarely in the spotlight get their moments to shine. Over the summer of 2008, it was swimmer Michael Phelps, whose run of eight gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Beijing captured the imagination of the American public. In a month, the attention of the sports world will focus on Vancouver for the XXI Winter Olympics, beginning on Feb. 12. So don't be surprised if over the next 30 days you're inundated with the name Lindsey Vonn.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (11 p.m., COM) - Photojournalist Ben Lowy. Conan (11 p.m., TBS) - Claire Smith; Thomas Haden Church. Late Show With David Letterman (11:35 p.m., CBS3) - Anderson Cooper; Lindsey Vonn; Childish Gambino performs. The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (11:35 p.m., NBC10) - Jonah Hill; Chris Paul; Il Volo performs.

Already perfect in the downhill this season, Lindsey Vonn looks unstoppable in the super-G, too. She won for the seventh time this season, regained the lead in the overall standings - perhaps for good - and sent a clear signal that she is indeed ready as the Vancouver Olympics near. "Sometimes people just get this feeling that everything is clicking and everything is working well together," she said. Vonn sped down the twisting Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, yesterday in 1 minute, 21.74 seconds.

Some Olympiads don't live up to the hype, but the events in Vancouver have provided the very best of international competition. Perhaps this rosy view comes from the success of the U.S. athletes. The Americans have captured an impressive haul of medals. Speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno became the most decorated American Winter Olympian of all time. Skier Bode Miller made up for his disappointing 2006 Olympic showing. The U.S. squad also performed well in events that are not this nation's strong points.

Franzi Aufdenblatten posted her first World Cup victory in leading a 1-2 Swiss finish in a super-G in Val d'Isere, France, and Lindsey Vonn placed third to retake sole possession of the lead in the overall standings. The 28-year-old Aufdenblatten upset the favorites to finish in 1 minute, 26.43 seconds on the Oreiller-Killy course, 0.23 seconds ahead of Nadia Styger . Aufdenblatten's previous best World Cup result was the third place she twice took in downhills. "Somebody told me that it happened after more than 200 races," Aufdenblatten said of her winning drought.

Former Kentucky and New Mexico State football coach Hal Mumme has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Mumme's agent, Russ Campbell, confirmed the diagnosis yesterday to the Associated Press. He said the prognosis is good because the illness was detected early. Mumme, 56, was head coach at Kentucky from 1997 to 2000 and his teams were 20-26. He left amid a recruiting scandal that led to the football program being sanctioned by the NCAA. He was fired by New Mexico State in December after a 4-year stint.

LINDSEY VONN topped the Alpine World Cup prize money list after capturing 12 events to win her fourth women's overall title. The American earned $608,000, finishing ahead of Marcel Hirscher , of Austria. The men's overall champion won nine times to receive $509,000. The International Ski Federation published the money list yesterday, a day after the season ended at Schladming, Austria. FIS requires minimum prize money of $110,000 per race. Soccer *  A friend of Fabrice Muamba told the Associated Press that the Bolton midfielder has started speaking again, 2 days after his cardiac arrest during a match.

The most famous shin on the planet got bounced around a bit yesterday, felt some pain, and took another step toward carrying Lindsey Vonn to an Olympic medal. The good news: Vonn posted the best time in a split downhill training run - the skiers did the top part of the course while the men's downhill was going on and completed the bottom section afterward - at Whistler Creekside. The bad news: Vonn's shin hurt. A lot. "It's tough," Vonn said. "I honestly was expecting it to be a little better than it was. [Sunday]

Lindsey Vonn won the super G in skiing's world championships yesterday, marking the first gold medal for the 24-year-old American. Vonn excelled on the steep Rhone-Alpes slope in Val d'Isere, France. She was timed in 1 minute, 20.73 seconds and was followed by France's Marie Marchand-Arvier and Austria's Andrea Fischbacher. Vonn is the first U.S. woman to win a gold at worlds since Hilary Lindh took the downhill at Sestriere, Italy, in 1997. Women's basketball The Seattle Storm waived Sheryl Swoopes, the three-time WNBA MVP and three-time Olympic gold medalist, a day before her 2009 contract would have become guaranteed.

Julia Mancuso flew through the sun-splashed course in Winter Park, Colo., conquering the soft snow to defend her super-G title at U.S. championships. The Olympic gold medalist finished in a time of 1 minute, 10.38 seconds on Friday, beating Leanne Smith by 1.2 seconds. Laurenne Ross was third. Mancuso of Squaw Valley, Calif., was coming off a stellar World Cup season in which she won two events and finished on the podium in another four races. She was fourth in the overall competition, finishing 960 points behind teammate Lindsey Vonn , who ran away from everyone.

LINDSEY VONN topped the Alpine World Cup prize money list after capturing 12 events to win her fourth women's overall title. The American earned $608,000, finishing ahead of Marcel Hirscher , of Austria. The men's overall champion won nine times to receive $509,000. The International Ski Federation published the money list yesterday, a day after the season ended at Schladming, Austria. FIS requires minimum prize money of $110,000 per race. Soccer *  A friend of Fabrice Muamba told the Associated Press that the Bolton midfielder has started speaking again, 2 days after his cardiac arrest during a match.

TIGER WOODS said he plans to return to practice and will be at the Masters next month. "I'll be there. Don't worry about that," Woods said yesterday on "Good Morning, America" to promote a new video game. Woods withdrew from the final round of the Cadillac Championship at Doral on Sunday with what he described as tightness in the left Achilles' tendon. He said the next day that doctors told him it was a mild sprain. Woods said the soreness and swelling are gone, and he will start practicing today to test it. He said he hopes to play next week in the Tavistock Cup, a made-for-TV exhibition among players from four exclusive country clubs; and the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

CHAUNTE LOWE set an American record in the women's high jump at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships yesterday in Albuquerque, N.M. Lowe, 28, cleared 6 feet, 7 1/2 inches on her third attempt, eclipsing Tisha Walker , who went 6-7 on Feb. 28, 1998. It's Lowe's third indoor title, the others coming in 2006 and 2010. But this one, she said, is special because she gave birth to a baby girl last April. "I think the thing that means the most to me is being able to come back on the world stage and say, 'OK, I'm valid again,' " Lowe said.

Katie Uhlaender has given the United States its second gold medal at the skeleton world championships in Lake Placid, N.Y., since the women's competition debuted in 2000. Uhlaender, of Breckenridge, Colo., finished the four heats over two days at Mount Van Hoevenberg in 3 minutes, 42.33 seconds. She beat Mellisa Hollingsworth of Canada by 0.17 seconds on Friday. Uhlaender also won silver at worlds in 2008 in Altenberg, Germany, and bronze the previous year in St. Moritz, Switzerland, when teammate Noelle Pikus-Pace won. Elizabeth Yarnold of Britain took the bronze, 0.36 behind and just ahead of teammate Shelley Rudman , the World Cup champion.

Given a very tough draw in the 2012 Davis Cup, the United States is off to an exhilarating start. The U.S. swept Roger Federer and Switzerland in the first round, with Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan winning the doubles match on clay, a surface selected by Federer to exploit what was perceived as an American weakness. But Fish and Bryan, paired for the first time in more than three years, were clearly up for this challenge Saturday before a crowd in Fribourg, Switzerland, that at times turned angry.

A career milestone and a rare family reunion. All of which left Lindsey Vonn in tears, and it made for a perfect day in Garmisch-Parten-Kirchen, Germany. Vonn captured her 50th World Cup victory Saturday, winning the downhill on the demanding Kandahar course with temperatures plunging to minus 13. "Fifty World Cup wins is a huge mark for me in my career and more than I even thought possible. I just wanted the 50th win," Vonn said. Few skiers reach the 50-win landmark.

Lindsey Vonn dominated yet another World Cup downhill on Saturday, winning by 1.42 seconds on the Engiadina course in St. Moritz, Switzerland. On another sunny day, the American found speed that eluded her rivals to clock 1 minute, 43.65 seconds on the relatively flat 1.57-mile track. American star Hannah Kearney won her 12th straight World Cup women's freestyle moguls event in Calgary, Alberta, and Canadian Mikael Kingsbury took his fifth straight men's victory.

SHANI DAVIS won his second gold in as many days, claiming the 1,000-meter men's World Cup long track event at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns. The American finished in 1 minute, 7.69 seconds yesterday to edge Stefan Groothuis , of The Netherlands, (1:07.94). On Saturday, Davis won his first individual medal of the World Cup season when he finished the 1,000 in 1:07.20. It was a rejuvenating weekend for Davis, who at 29 was starting to wonder if he was in decline after disappointing World Cup results in Europe last fall.