The American skier Lindsey Vonn lived up to expectations by winning the USA's first winter Olympic gold in the women's downhill at Whistler
Vonn has won five consecutive World Cup downhills this season and produced a flawless performance to finish in 1min 44.19sec.
She was 0.56sec ahead of team-mate Julia Mancuso with Austria's Elisabeth Goergl third.
Vonn says her victory was made even better by Mancuso's surprise second.
It comes four years after her bid at the Turin Games was hampered by injuries sustained in training.
She's also the first American woman to win Olympic gold in an alpine speed event since Picabo Street won super-G gold at Nagano in 1998.
