Even as she achieved strong finishes last season, Lindsey Vonn expressed throughout her comeback journey that she required more time to acclimate to her equipment and regain peak physical condition for the rigorous demands of World Cup Alpine ski racing. With a glimpse of brighter prospects ahead, Vonn’s recent accomplishments have made her assertions undeniably credible.
The 41-year-old American Alpine skiing icon made history on Friday by becoming the oldest woman to win a World Cup race. She clinched first place in the downhill event held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, marking the season’s opening downhill competition as athletes gear up for the 2026 Olympics. Her victory was cemented when she recorded a time of 1 minute, 29.63 seconds. Vonn followed this feat with a commendable second-place finish on Saturday in another downhill race.
Starting from the 17th position on Friday, Vonn initially took her time but steadily gained momentum, dynamically navigating through the latter portions of the course. Her win was not just a personal achievement; it served as tangible evidence that she remains a formidable contender for yet another Olympic medal before she concludes her illustrious career. The podium was further populated by two Austrian competitors, with Magdalena Egger finishing only 0.98 seconds behind Vonn and Mirjam Puchner coming in third at 1.16 seconds behind.
Conditions were ideal in St. Moritz that sunny day, as many of the top-ranked skiers posted closely matched times. Vonn took to the starting gate nearly a year after her return to World Cup skiing, having been away for over five years. She decisively outpaced her competitors by more than 1.1 seconds, highlighting her remarkable skills. Around the halfway mark, Vonn had already regained her speed, drawing gasps from the audience with her performance. Crossing the finish line, she took a moment to embrace the joy of victory before celebrating with emotion.
Reflecting on her run, Vonn noted, “In my mind, I was thinking, ‘OK, well, I just need to ski the pitch really clean and carry my speed down.’” Although she acknowledged areas for improvement, including performance on the bottom compression, she felt pleased with her run’s overall execution. Vonn credited her recent preparation efforts, including the addition of Aksel Lund Svindal as her coach, a seasoned racer with 36 World Cup wins to his name. “I knew I was skiing fast, but you never know until the first race. I think I had a great run, but I also made some mistakes, so I’m excited for tomorrow,” she expressed.
In Saturday’s downhill race, starting from the 11th position, Vonn once again led briefly before being overtaken by Germany’s Emma Aicher in a fierce contest. With both racers sitting in the top two spots, Vonn celebrated her third consecutive World Cup podium finish. Enthusiastically looking ahead, she said, “I’m actually really excited for super-G because I’m skiing better in super-G than I am in downhill.”
On Friday, several top contenders found themselves trailing Vonn, with Italy’s Sofia Goggia finishing fourth, 1.31 seconds off her pace. The promising young talent Aicher, who enjoyed a breakout season previously, finished fifth. Notably, Breezy Johnson, reigning downhill world champion, rounded out the American finishers in 15th place, trailing Vonn by just over two seconds.
This win represents Vonn’s 83rd World Cup title, placing her third all-time among both men and women, while also marking her first top-tier victory since March 2018. American skier Mikaela Shiffrin leads the all-time wins with 104, and Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark holds the men’s record with 86.
Federica Brignone, the previous record holder for the oldest woman to win a World Cup race, had reset that benchmark several times last season, achieving substantial success. As Vonn embarks on what she states will be her final season, she is driven by her return from retirement after enduring injuries that burdened her career.
Vonn, who hung up her skis in 2019, made her return last winter following a knee replacement that relieved her chronic pain. This paved the way for her comeback to competitive skiing, where she accumulated four top-10 finishes in 13 World Cup races last season and ultimately clinched two podiums, including a second-place finish in the super-G at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho.
As the national anthem played during her celebration atop the podium, Vonn was visibly moved, acknowledging the magnitude of the moment. With the Alpine skiing events of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics approaching quickly, she has shifted from being perceived as a long shot for a medal to emerging as a favored competitor. Staging her next appearances in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy—where she has a staggering twelve World Cup victories—Vonn is eager to add to her storied legacy.
