LAKE LOUISE, Canada (AFP) - Italy's Nadia Fanchini claimed her first career Alpine Ski World Cup victory in Sunday's super-G race, joining sister Elena whose maiden victory came in Lake Louise three years ago.

Nadia Fanchini, of Italy, races down the course to win the Lake Louise World Cup Alpine women's Super-G ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

"I don't have any words to describe my happiness," said Fanchini, whose victory Sunday followed finishing second in a downhill on Friday.

"It is unbelievable for me. Even the second place finish in Friday's downhill I was not expecting. It was a surprise for me."

Nadia Fanchini of Italy celebrates in the finish area after the FIS Ski World Cup Women's Super G in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. Fanchini won with a time of 1:20.97. (AFP/Don Emmert)

Fanchini, 22, clocked a time of one minute, 20.97 seconds and finished ahead of Swiss Fabienne Suter and Austrian Andrea Fischbacher, who tied for second in 1:21.25 on the Whitehorn Mountain course.

Sweden's Anja Paerson was fourth with a time of 1:21.31.

Anja Paerson, of Sweden, races down the course on her way to fourth place in the Lake Louise World Cup Alpine women's Super-G ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

The start of the season-opening super-G race was delayed 30 minutes because of poor weather as course workers had to remove 11 centimetres of snow that fell overnight.

The race was held under a steady snowfall but with less wind than Saturday, when organizers decided to cancel the second downhill scheduled for Lake Louise because of safety reasons.

Vonn got her World Cup downhill title defence off to a flying start by winning Friday's downhill.

But Vonn, the reigning World Cup overall champion, barely cracked the top 10 Sunday with a time of 1:21.57, good for ninth.

Fanchini upstaged pre-race favourite Vonn on Sunday and now has a first-place trophy to go with her runner-up in Friday's race.

Fanchini, who wore bib No. 5 on Sunday, - finished 10th in the Olympic downhill at Turin in 2006.

Older sister Elena also posted her first career World Cup win in Lake Louise, winning one of two downhills in 2005. Elena did not compete at Lake Louise after injuring her left knee in the off-season.

"Now we have the same feeling," the younger Fanchini said through an interpreter. "Obviously we miss each other. We are a team -- a powerful team of sisters."

Suter posted her best career result in Lake Louise as both her World Cup wins have come in super-G races in Europe.

In a strange twist, Suter and Fischbacher also tied for first place in the second to last super-G race of last season in Sestriere, Italy.

Suter also went on to win the final super-G of 2007-08 season in Bormio.

"I won the last two super-G races of last season so this is good confirmation and good start for the new season," Suter said.

Fabienne Suter, of Switzerland, races down the course on her way to second place in the Lake Louise World Cup Alpine women's Super-G ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

Fischbacher, 23, was the runner-up in Lake Louise Super-G three years ago. She finished third in the giant slalom last month in Soelden.

"It's really good," Fischbacher said. "I had a good feeling and it was a really good race for me."

Paerson, 27, came out with plenty of fire on Sunday and looked like she was going to challenge Fanchini for top spot but the Swede lost time on the bottom of the course.

AFP
Sun 07 Dec, 09:45 PM

Nadia Fanchini, of Italy, celebrates her first-place finish following the Women's World Cup Super-G ski race in Lake Louise, Alberta on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)

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