Olympics
Lindsey Vonn’s stellar return to alpine skiing continued Saturday as the American star finished sixth place in her first World Cup downhill competition in nearly six years.
In a strong, controlled run down the tricky course in St. Anton, Switzerland, the 40-year-old Vonn was consistent throughout, finishing in 1:16.66, 0.58 seconds off the lead.
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It was nearly a top-five spot for Vonn, but 20-year-old Malorie Blanc of Switzerland stunned the field with a second-place run out of the 46th starting position in her first-ever World Cup race. Italy’s Federica Brignone won in 1:16.08, her first career World Cup downhill win and 30th overall. At 34, she also eclipsed Vonn as the oldest woman to win a World Cup downhill. Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic took third.
Vonn, who started 32nd, was the top American on Saturday in her top discipline. Lauren Macuga finished ninth and Breezy Johnson 11th for the U.S.
Saturday was the second race of Vonn’s comeback since announcing plans to return in November. Last month, the former Olympic and world champion finished 14th in a Super-G race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, an early sign that dreams of returning to the Olympics in 2026 might be reachable.
“I feel a little bit more confident and comfortable in downhill than I do in Super-G,” Vonn said, “and I know this hill really well, so I knew the challenges that it had today and with the snow conditions, where I needed to execute. I still made a couple of mistakes, I know I can be faster. But I think for the first downhill race in six years, it was a pretty good start.”
Still working her way back up the rankings, Vonn’s return to the World Cup scene came via wild-card entry. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) — the sport’s governing body — allows for entries for retired skiers who have earned a minimum number of points while also achieving major benchmarks in the past, such as winning Olympic or world championship gold medals. But with it comes later starting positions in each race, which can make conditions more challenging than for skiers who start earlier.
“I haven’t started outside of the top 30 since I was probably 17 years old, 18 years old,” Vonn said, “and today with the conditions, it was definitely challenging. So I think, all things considered, it was a great start, and hopefully I can get back in the top 30 pretty quickly and improve my chances of success with a better starting number.”
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Vonn is also scheduled to race in Sunday’s Super-G race in St. Anton.
Downhill has been Vonn’s specialty, bringing 43 of her 82 career World Cup race wins and her only Olympic gold medal, in Vancouver in 2010. She was the overall World Cup downhill champion eight times in nine years from 2008 to 2016. But by 2019, knee injuries had taken their toll, and Vonn walked away from skiing after the world championships that year. A knee replacement last year left her feeling pain-free, and she announced plans to return in November. She debuted at a lower-tier event in Colorado in early December to earn the points needed to compete in World Cup events.
Vonn retired as the most successful American World Cup skier of all time. Fellow American Mikaela Shiffrin — who is recovering from injuries sustained in a fall — has since become the all-time leader in World Cup wins, one away from 100.
Vonn, who has three Olympic medals overall, is seeking to make her fifth Olympic team. She also won world championship golds in downhill and Super-G in 2009 and was the overall World Cup champion three straight years from 2008 to 2010 and again in 2012.
The World Cup tour heads to Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, next week, which is also the venue for the 2026 Olympics. Vonn will be there, and if she keeps stacking results like these, she could be back competing at the Olimpia delle Tofane course — where she’s won 12 times — in the 2026 Games too.
GO DEEPER
Lindsey Vonn, at historic stop for women’s alpine, kicks off her World Cup return
(Photo of Lindsey Vonn after Saturday’s downhill run: Joe Klamar / AFP via Getty Images)
Zack Pierce is the national managing editor for The Athletic. Before that, he was the managing editor for The Athletic’s Minnesota coverage. He spent over 10 years in various editorial capacities at FoxSports.com after a brief stint at ESPN.com. A Minnesota native, he co-founded the Trent Tucker Fan Club and refused to interact with society for several hours after the 1998 NFC Championship Game.
