ST. ANTON, Austria — On Saturday, Lindsey Vonn skied an impressive sixth place in her first World Cup downhill race in six years.
The 40-year-old United States star – the greatest downhill competitor in Women’s World Cup history – was the fastest in the first part of the course, reaching a speed of 77 miles per hour, and finished 0.58 seconds behind race leader Federica Brignone of Italy.
Vonn, wearing an unknown, low-ranking race number No. 32, raised both hands in the air and flashed a big smile as she crossed the finish line and saw that her time was the fifth fastest.
“It was great fun,” Vonn told broadcaster Eurosport. “I still made some mistakes. I know I can be faster.
“Since I was probably 17, I haven’t competed outside the top 30. All things considered, it was a great start,” she added.
Surprisingly, Vonn was later pushed back to sixth place when World Cup downhill debutant Malorie Blanc, wearing bib number 46, ran into second place. The 21-year-old Swiss, who was not born when Vonn started her World Cup career, finished 0.07 seconds behind Brignone.
It was the second race in an unexpected new chapter in Vonn’s storied career with a titanium knee she suffered during surgery last year. Three weeks ago in St. Moritz, Switzerland, finished 14th in the super-G.
“I was a little happier with fifth place than sixth,” Vonn joked.
Vonn won a record 43 descents in her World Cup career, in which she won 82 times. Her previous World Cup descent was in January 2019, finishing ninth in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. There will be races on an Italian golf course this weekend and the women’s alpine races will be held at the 2026 Olympics.
“I feel a little more confident and comfortable in the downhills than in the super-G. I know this hill really well,” said Vonn, who won in St. Anton in 2007.
She skied in postcard-perfect conditions, on a windless and sunny day, at 18 degrees Celsius. Karl Schranz’s route was shortened to 2.0 km due to heavy snowfall after Thursday’s training.
On Sunday she will start in the super-G, and next week she will move to Cortina, the showpiece speed track for women, where she has 12 World Cup victories.
