At 41 years young—and skiing on a partially replaced knee—the American legend powered to yet another World Cup podium, claiming third place in the women’s downhill in Tarvisio, Italy, on January 17, 2026. It’s her fifth consecutive downhill podium this season and her sixth top-three finish in just seven races overall. The only “miss” so far? A still-impressive fourth in her season-opening super-G.
Vonn’s final time of 1:46.54 left her just 0.26 seconds behind Italy’s Nicol Delago, who celebrated her maiden World Cup victory on home snow. Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann slotted into second, a razor-thin 0.06 seconds ahead of the veteran star.
She was the fastest skier in the field at both intermediate speed checks, blasting through the first one at nearly 85 mph (136.8 kph). A slight drift wide of her line right after that checkpoint cost her precious time against Delago, but Vonn fought back ferociously, posting the quickest split in the final two sections. It wasn’t quite enough for gold—but it was more than enough to remind everyone why she’s one of the greatest of all time.
Crossing the line, Vonn gave a classic “close, close” shrug before flashing her trademark smile and waving to the roaring crowd.
The result strengthens her iron grip on the downhill standings lead and lifts her to third overall in the World Cup. Teammates Breezy Johnson (tied for sixth), Jackie Wiles (13th), Allison Mollin (19th), and Haley Cutler (23rd) also delivered strong performances for Team USA.
With the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics less than a month away, Vonn isn’t just hanging on—she’s thriving, proving age is just a number when you have the heart of a champion.
The queen is back… and she’s not done yet. 🇺🇸✨
