Goetschl wins finale

While the experienced Goetschl won the final downhill of the season by more than half a second in one minute 22.73 seconds, the 25-year-old Schild's career-best showing in the event makes her the overwhelming favourite to be crowned the overall World Cup champion for the first time at the weekend.

Schild's second place - her previous best was seventh - extended her advantage at the top of the standings to 55 points over fellow Austrian Nicole Hosp. With her strongest events still to come this week she is the favourite to take Janica Kostelic's crown after the Croatian all rounder opted to skip the season.

"I got really charged up for this after my fast time in training yesterday," said Schild, who has won a record-equalling seven slalom races in a season of Austrian dominance that looks like ending on Sunday in their first clean sweep of World Cup honours since 1999. Austrian women have won 21 of this season's World Cup races, a national record.

"I don't mind losing to Goetschl because she has been so good this year in downhill but this is a big result for me in terms of the overall and my first downhill podium so I'm really enjoying it."

Goetschl, who clocked up her eighth victory of the season and 46th of her career, came to Switzerland already assured of the downhill and super-G titles and still secretly harbouring hopes of a repeat of her overall title in 2000.

However with an 82-point gap to Schild and only Thursday's super-G realistically left to score heavily she was content to revel in another podium-topping performance.

"This was the biggest win of my winter especially as I started at the back with the course getting softer," said the 31-year-old.

"My partner made a bet with me last year that I would win nine races this season and I thought he was mad but now I have the chance to do it tomorrow. Each podium for me is still special."

Julia Mancuso's dreams of becoming the first American woman to win the World Cup since Tamara McKinney in 1983 are still alive after she finished fifth.

The bubbly Californian is 86 points behind Schild but can feature strongly in the super-G and the giant slalom here.

"Today was difficult because I couldn't attack the way I wanted to," she said. "There were crashes earlier and that was in the back of mind so I just wanted to make a clean run and we'll see what happens the rest of the week. I wasn't thinking about the points."

Marie Marchand-Arvier of France completed the season's final downhill podium, matching her third place in Cortina in January.

Austria's Elisabeth Goergl escaped injury after a spectacular crash into the safety fence.