Lindsey Vonn, the American skiing legend, solidified her stunning comeback by securing a second-place finish in the women’s World Cup downhill on Saturday, mere hours after becoming the oldest skier ever to win a World Cup race.
On Friday, the 41-year-old Vonn dominated the season-opening downhill on the demanding Corviglia course, clocking 1:29.63 to win by a commanding 0.98 seconds over Austria’s Magdalena Egger. The victory marked her 83rd World Cup win, her first since 2018, and etched her name in the record books as the oldest World Cup winner—surpassing the previous mark held by Switzerland’s Didier Cuche at age 37.
But Vonn wasted no time proving her triumph was anything but a one-off. In Saturday’s second downhill, Germany’s Emma Aicher edged her by just 0.24 seconds with a time of 1:30.50, while Italy’s Sofia Goggia took third, 0.29 seconds back. American world champion Breezy Johnson finished a strong fourth.
Despite a mid-run slip that cost her momentum, Vonn posted some of the fastest sectional speeds and briefly held the lead before Aicher’s late charge.
“I fell on my hip in the middle of the course and then I was off track for the bottom part, where I skied so well yesterday,” Vonn said afterward. Yet her back-to-back podiums—her 140th career podium—have silenced any remaining doubters about her return from a six-year retirement and partial knee replacement.
Now leading the downhill standings after two races, Vonn’s form positions her as a serious medal contender for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, where women’s speed events will be held at Cortina d’Ampezzo—a venue where she holds 12 World Cup wins.
The St. Moritz weekend concludes Sunday with a super-G, where Vonn is expected to compete alongside U.S. teammate Mikaela Shiffrin.
At 41, with titanium in her knee and unyielding determination, Vonn is not just competing—she’s redefining what’s possible in alpine skiing.
