Lindsey Vonn’s remarkable comeback to elite Alpine skiing continues to defy expectations, as the 41-year-old American legend secured a commanding victory in the season’s opening downhill race and followed it with strong podium finishes over the weekend.
Vonn claimed the first downhill on Friday with a dominant performance, winning by nearly a full second — a massive margin in a discipline often decided by fractions — to become the oldest skier ever to win a World Cup event. She backed it up with a second-place finish in Saturday’s downhill despite a mid-run error, and fourth in Sunday’s super-G, accumulating the most points of any competitor across the three races.
Her stellar results have prompted Vonn to reconsider her initial plan to retire immediately after the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics in February. Instead, she now intends to compete through the end of the World Cup season in March.
“I think I might need to change my approach,” Vonn said after the weekend. Her head coach, Chris Knight, added that with refined equipment and enhanced fitness — including an added 12 pounds of muscle — consistent high-level performances are achievable. “It’s just about managing the load, the training, and the recovery time,” Knight noted, emphasizing recovery’s growing importance.
Vonn’s return last season after a nearly six-year retirement, featuring a titanium knee replacement, drew skepticism from some skiing veterans who questioned the risks of high-speed downhill racing at her age. But her composed runs on St. Moritz’s challenging Corviglia course silenced critics, as she appeared more stable than many younger rivals.
Italian star Sofia Goggia, the 2018 Olympic downhill champion, praised Vonn’s impact: “She raised the bar for every athlete in downhill and super-G.” Goggia humorously acknowledged Vonn’s Friday dominance by placing a pacifier in her mouth during a post-race moment.
Vonn celebrated her Friday win with NBA-inspired flair, mimicking Stephen Curry’s “night-night” gesture, drawing a response from LeBron James on social media: “40+ is the new 20. Well, until you wake up the next day!”
Looking ahead to the Olympics, Vonn is poised for medal contention in downhill and super-G on the Cortina d’Ampezzo courses, where she holds a record 12 World Cup victories. She also hopes to team up with slalom specialist Mikaela Shiffrin in the new team combined event, potentially forming a U.S. “Dream Team” pairing.
With former Olympic champion Aksel Lund Svindal providing calm guidance on her coaching staff, Vonn appears primed for a strong Olympic push. “His calm energy is really helpful to me,” she said.
Vonn’s weekend haul positions her as a frontrunner in the speed disciplines as the road to Milan-Cortina heats up.
