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Italy's Sofia Goggia lost the race but won the World Cup women's downhill title on Wednesday as she finished second to Lindsey Vonn in the finals in Are, Sweden.

Goggia, who won the downhill gold at the Pyeongchang Olympics in February, needed to finish second to ensure she added a first World Cup globe.

The Italian started the final race with a 23-point edge over Vonn, who took bronze in South Korea, and a 71-point cushion over the only other potential champion, Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein.

Goggia skied ninth and posted the fastest time to that point, finishing in 55.71sec and eliminating Weirather who had already completed her run.

Vonn started 13th of the 26 entrants and eclipsed Goggia by 0.06sec. That gave the American an 82nd World Cup victory, only four fewer than the all-time record of Ingemar Stenmark, but she needed help to claim her 17th small globe for winning a World Cup discipline.

If Goggia remained in second, Vonn would gain only 20 points in the standings and the Italian would take the title by just three points.

Vonn's compatriot Alice McKennis, the 23rd skier to race, came closest to overtaking Goggia, but the American, whose only previous World Cup podium came in 2013, finished 0.22 behind the Italian to take third.

Weirather finished seventh, 0.49 behind Vonn.

AFP