U.S. downhill skiier Lindsey Vonn added to her legendary résumé on Friday by winning her 83rd career downhill World Cup race in St. Moritz.
The victory additionally made the 41-year-old Vonn the oldest woman ever to win a World Cup race.
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Vonn, a four-time World Champion, beat out Austria’s Magdalena Egger by 0.98 seconds with a time of 1 minute and 29.63 seconds for her first win since 2018.
“I knew I was skiing fast but you never know until the first race,” Vonn informed TNT Sports. “I think I was a little faster than I expected. It’s a very exciting time.”
Vonn’s 83 World Cup wins are third all-time, males or ladies.
After retiring in 2019 due to knee issues, Vonn returned to competition in Dec. 2024 with a eye on qualifying for the 2026 Olympics in Italy.
“Obviously my goal is Cortina but if this is the way we start I think I’m in a good spot,” stated Vonn.
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Vonn has dominated in her profession at Cortina d’Ampezzo, the placement of the Olympic snowboarding competitors in February, with 12 World Cup wins. It’s a particular place that performed a think about her deciding to come out of retirement.
“I don’t think I would have tried this comeback if the Olympics weren’t in Cortina,” Vonn said in November. “If it had been anywhere else, I would probably say it’s not worth it. But for me, there’s something special about Cortina that always pulls me back, and it’s pulled me back one last time.”
Vonn gained gold within the downhill and bronze within the super-G on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and picked up one other bronze medal in 2018 in Pyeongchang.
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Vonn’s competitors is not finished in St. Moritz. She has one other downhill race on Saturday after which a super-G on Sunday.