Lindsay Vonn wins downhill to claim her 18th World Cup title

March 18, 2015 8:02 PM PT

Wire reports

Lindsey Vonn added another crystal globe to her collection by claiming the season-long downhill title on Wednesday, winning the last race in the discipline at the World Cup finals at Meribel, France.

Her seven downhill titles and her 18th World Cup title overall, each coming with a crystal globe trophy, are both records for women.

“I’ve just built a new trophy case that’s just finished now. It has room for 23 globes,” said Vonn, 30, who is the all-time women’s World Cup leader with 66 race wins. “Hopefully I’ll have a few more successful years.”

A 19th crystal globe could come on Thursday when the super-G title will be decided. Vonn holds a narrow eight-point lead over Austrian rival Anna Fenninger, who finished second behind Vonn in the downhill and is also competing for the overall World Cup title.

In the men’s downhill, Kjetil Jansrud won the race and discipline’s season-long title.

The 29-year-old Norwegian, who has already clinched the super-G title, beat Didier Defago by .24 of a second on the Roc de Fer course to deprive the 37-year-old Swiss veteran of a retirement present.

In the race for the women’s overall World Cup title, Fenninger holds a 12-point lead over Tina Maze, who was fourth Wednesday.

Vonn has won the overall title four times in her career, but this season she’s just happy to be racing again after missing nearly two years of competition with injuries.

The Dallas Cowboys made their big play in free agency with defensive end Greg Hardy. Now they wait to see how soon the former Carolina player will boost their mediocre pass rush.

With Hardy facing a league suspension for violating the NFL’s domestic conduct policy, the team signed him to a one-year deal valued at up to $13.1 million if he meets incentives. A person with knowledge of the contract provided details on condition of anonymity because terms were not announced.

Hardy played just one game last season because he was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list after a judge in North Carolina convicted him on domestic violence charges.

The case was thrown out on appeal when Hardy’s accuser couldn’t be located to testify, and the NFL filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking evidence from the trial. League spokesman Greg Aiello said Hardy’s status was still “being reviewed for potential discipline.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the contract was “heavily weighted toward his participation in games” after the team spent weeks researching Hardy’s background.

The 26-year-old Hardy tied a Carolina club record with 15 sacks in 2013

The Baltimore Ravens released running back Bernard Pierce, hours after he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving early Wednesday in Towson, north of Baltimore.

Five Ravens players were arrested last year, most notably running back Ray Rice on a charge of domestic violence, an offense that led to his suspension by the NFL and his release from the team.

Free-agent receiver Michael Crabtree has scheduled a visit with the Miami Dolphins, who are revamping the position this off-season.

The Miami Heat signed forward Michael Beasley for the balance of the season after Tuesday’s expiration of his second and final 10-day contract.

The NHL suspended Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri four games for a hit to the head of Edmonton’s Matt Fraser. The hit occurred in the Oilers’ 4-1 home victory over Toronto on Monday.

Masters champion Bubba Watson withdrew from this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. Watson told the PGA Tour he was pulling out of Bay Hill because of the death of a childhood friend.

Dallas Seavey won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for the third time in four years.

The Alaska musher crossed the finish line in the Bering Sea coastal town of Nome at 4:13 a.m. Wednesday, completing the route in eight days, 8 hours 13 minutes and 6 seconds. That’s about five hours longer than the record he set in winning the 2014 race.

New York Knicks Coach and former Lakers star Derek Fisher filed for divorce from his wife, Candace, on Wednesday in Los Angeles, a spokesman told the Associated Press.

Fisher said in a statement that “this is a difficult time for me personally. For the sake of our children, I ask that everyone respects our privacy during this process.”

The Fishers were married Feb. 19, 2005, and have four children.

Fisher is in his first season as coach of the Knicks. He spent most of his playing career with the Lakers, helping them win five championships.

The Sparks have re-signed center Jantel Lavender.