Lindsey Vonn waved to the home crowd Sunday and blew kisses to the TV cameras, but the celebration was short-lived.

For yet another year, there was no kissing America's podium drought in Aspen goodbye.

The second day of the Winternational races on Aspen Mountain included more harsh weather, another first-time World Cup winner and another fourth-place finish from Vonn, the 24-year-old who grew up carving turns in Vail.

A day after finishing fourth for a personal best in giant slalom, the defending World Cup champion settled for fourth again in the slalom - a year after she finished fourth in a downhill here.

It has been four years and nine straight World Cup races since an American woman finished among the top three at the Winternational.

"I really would have liked to get a top three," said Vonn, who ditched a set of crutches last week to race on a bruised left knee. "I had a pretty conservative first run because my knee wasn't feeling that hot after the warm-up. Second run, it was feeling better, and I just tried to go as fast as I could, but I just couldn't make up the time difference. I'm happy with fourth."

While Vonn held the lead after two runs for about five minutes, it was first-run leader Sarka Zahrobska, a 23-year-old from the Czech Republic, who walked off the mountain with the gold medal and $28,595.

After three runner-up finishes and two thirds, all in slalom, during the past two seasons, Zahrobska held off Nicole Hosp of Austria and Tanja Poutiainen of Finland to capture the top step of a World Cup podium. Zahrobska, the only racer in the field to crack 49 seconds in her first run, was the last racer on course in the afternoon and skied confidently through blowing snow for a winning two-run time of 1 minute, 39.32 seconds.

"It's a special feeling being at the start after everyone has come down," Zahrobska said.

She knew her second run was good, but the excitement didn't sink in until her name flashed on the scoreboard.

"I did my best, but you can never be sure," Zahrobksa said.

Hosp's runner-up finish (1:39.55) followed up her slalom win in Aspen last year and another runner-up showing in 2006, the same season she went on to win the World Cup overall crown. Poutiainen, who finished in 1:40.29, picked up her seventh podium result in Aspen in either giant slalom or slalom.

While Zahrobska will remember Aspen for her first win, everyone else will remember this race for the erratic, brutal weather.

Snow and hail fell throughout the day while whipping wind that reached 55 mph led to a course hold during the first run.

"It was really windy. It was the luck of the draw whether you got a big gust or not, but in general, I think everyone got wind," Vonn said. "It was just a matter of fighting as hard as you can and dealing with the conditions that you had. Unfortunately, I think I got pretty bad wind on both runs."

U.S. teammates Julia Mancuso, Kiley Staples and Kaylin Richardson had other problems. All three missed the second-to-last gate on the course in their first runs and missed an opportunity at World Cup points. Vail's Sarah Schleper, struggling with back pain, opted not to start.

That left Vonn and two World Cup novices, Hailey Duke and Sterling Grant, as the only Americans to earn a second run.

Duke wound up 21st to earn her first World Cup points, and Grant, in only her second World Cup start, didn't earn any points because her 29th-place time of 1:48.29 was too far behind the winner.

Poutiainen grabbed the overall lead Saturday and extended it Sunday to 31 points - 260-229 - over Vonn. The defending champion knows, though, that she is in a perfect spot to move back up to the top of the standings next weekend when the women's World Cup circuit moves to Lake Louise, Alberta, for a downhill and a super-giant slalom.

Vonn has been on the podium in Lake Louise seven times in the past four seasons, which includes four wins in downhill. Her early success in the technical events, including her first career slalom win, in Levi, Finland, has put the rest of the World Cup on notice.

"Before, I was happy to have 20 points at this point in the season," Vonn said. "With these results, I'm getting 55 points a race."

RESULTS

Women's slalom

Sunday in Aspen

1. Sarka Zahrobska, Czech Republic, 1:39.32 (48.92-50.40). 2. Nicole Hosp, Austria, 1:39.55 (49.52-50.03). 3. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 1:40.29 (49.64-50.65). 4. Lindsey Vonn, United States, 1:40.73 (49.87-50.86). 5. Kathrin Zettel, Austria, 1:40.75 (49.02-51.73). 6. Maria Riesch, Germany, 1:41.04 (49.36-51.68). 7. Maria Pietilae-Holmner, Sweden, 1:41.20 (49.65-51.55). 8. Aline Bonjour, Switzerland, 1:41.56 (50.73-50.83). 9. Manuela Moelgg, Italy, 1:41.68 (49.69-51.99). 10. Michaela Kirchgasser, Austria, 1:42.19 (50.67-51.52).

11. Kathrin Hoelzl, Germany, 1:42.65 (51.13- 51.52). 12. Ana Jelusic, Croatia, 1:42.67 (50.28- 52.39). 13. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 1:43.33 (51.50- 51.83). 14. Sandra Gini, Switzerland, 1:43.45 (51.67-51.78). 15. Marusa Ferk, Slovenia, 1:43.47 (52.06-51.41). 16. Nina Loeseth, Norway, 1:43.52 (50.94-52.58). 17. Marion Bertrand, France, 1:43.79 (51.04-52.75). 18. Nika Fleiss, Croatia, 1:43.92 (51.31-52.61). 19. Sandrine Aubert, France, 1:43.96 (51.64-52.32). 20. Anna Fenninger, Austria, 1:44.24 (52.48-51.76).

21. Hailey Duke, United States, 1:44.27 (51.49- 52.78). 22. Susanne Riesch, Germany, 1:44.34 (51.88-52.46). 23. Marina Nigg, Liechtenstein, 1:44.45 (52.35-52.10). 24. Anna Goodman, Canada, 1:45.11 (51.88-53.23). 25. Kararzyna Karasin- ska, Poland, 1:45.37 (51.90-53.47). 26. Anne Marie Mueller, Norway, 1:45.40 (52.44-52.96). 27.

Brigitte Acton, Canada, 1:45.44 (52.05-53.39). 28. Agnieszka Gasienica Daniel, Poland, 1:46.13 (52.15-53.98). 29. Sterling Grant, United States, 1:48.29 (52.64-55.65).

World Cup Slalom standings, after two races

1. Lindsey Vonn, United States, 150. 2. Nicole Hosp, Austria, 130. 3. Sarka Zahrobska, Czech Republic, 129. 4. Maria Pietilae-Holmner, Sweden, 116. 5, tie, Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, and Maria

Riesch, Germany, 100. 7. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 56. 8. Manuela Moelgg, Italy, 49. 9, tie, Kathrin Zettel, Austria, and Veronika Zuzulova, Slovakia, 45.

Overall World Cup standings

After four events

1. Tanja Poutiainen, Finland, 260. 2. Lindsey Vonn, United States, 229. 3. Maria Pietilae-Holmner, Sweden, 196. 4. Kathrin Zettel, Austria, 190. 5. Sarka Zahrobska, Czech Republic, 143. 6. Maria Riesch, Germany, 135. 7. Nicole Hosp, Austria, 133. 8. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 103. 9. Tessa Worley, France, 100. 10. Kathrin Hoelzl, Germany, 76.

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