Vonn is the first American skier to win four overall titles. — Reuters picARE, Sweden, March 9 — American Lindsey Vonn won the 2012 women’s Alpine skiing overall World Cup with victory in today’s giant slalom race.

Vonn now leads closest rival Tina Maze of Slovenia by 554 points with five races — and a maximum 500 points — left in the season.

It is the American’s fourth overall World Cup after she won it in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Vonn has also won the downhill and super-combined World Cup titles this season and is ideally placed to add the super-G trophy at the World Cup finals in Schladming, Austria, next week.

She is also still in contention in the giant slalom competition, trailing Olympic champion Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany by 95 points with one race to go.

Vonn had never won a giant slalom race before this season but collected her maiden win in the discipline in the season-opener in Soelden, Austria.

“I’m just thrilled. It’s crazy, I could almost go on holiday in Schladming,” the American said after beating Italian Federica Brignone by 0.48 seconds to collect her 52nd World Cup win.

Rebensburg, who could have wrapped up her second successive giant slalom cup by finishing second, was third in Friday’s race, 1:05 behind Vonn.

The 27-year-old Vonn became the first American skier to win four overall titles. She has won 11 races this season, the same as in 2009-2010, and has added giant slalom to her all-round talent.

The winter did start ideally though, as she announced her divorce from coach and mentor Thomas Vonn, but her personal problems did not hamper her performance.

The second most successful woman in the World Cup — only Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell won more overall titles with six — the American is far from retiring.

She is close to passing the 55 World Cup race wins of Swiss Vreni Schneider and could threaten the record of 62 victories held by Moser-Proell next winter. — Reuters