Val d'Isere, France - Lindsey Vonn of the United States followed up a super-g gold by winning the women's downhill Monday at the alpine ski world championships.

Vonn, 24, responded to a scintillating run by Swiss teenager Lara Gut in Val d'Isere to knock more than half a second off Gut's time, with Italy's Nadia Fanchini third.

Overall World Cup leader Vonn posted 1 minute 30.31 seconds, 0.52 seconds ahead of Gut, with Fanchini, five-hundredths of a second further behind.

It was a second silver for 17-year-old Gut following a second place in the super-combined.

Vonn came to Val d'Isere with second-place finishes at the 2007 worlds super-g and downhill races, and has now gone one better in the two speed disciplines.

She will also be among the favourites for the slalom on Saturday. (dpa)