WHISTLER (AFP) - Italian dynamo Nadia Fanchini took full advantage of the No. 1 starting position, flashing down the slope to win Wednesday's ladies training run for the Alpine Whistler World Cup downhill.

Fanchini swept down the 2,879-metre slope in one minute, 46.65 seconds, finishing ahead of Swiss runner-up Nadia Styger who clocked 1:47.10. Austrian Andrea Fischbacher was third in 1:47.35.

The Whistler World Cup men's and ladies races will feature 160 of the world's best skiers from 20 different countries competing over four days on the same course to be used for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

The men will stage a Super-G on Thursday, followed by Saturday's giant slalom.

The women race the downhill Friday, followed by super-combined on Sunday.

A week ago, Fanchini finished third in a downhill at Sestriere, Italy.

Lindsey Vonn, of the United States, was eighth in training Wednesday with a time of 1:47.91. She could clinch the World Cup downhill title by placing in the top four on Friday.

"The course is awesome," Vonn said. "It is really fun and there is a bit of everything. It has got technical, there are some traverses and some big sweeping turns.

"There's two jumps that carry pretty good and there are a couple of gliding sections. I think it has everything you want in a downhill."

Organizers decided to cancel Thursday's ladies downhill training.