By PAT GRAHAM COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) — For a couple of lower-tier downhill competitions, there sure were a lot of Olympic medalists and World Cup champions in attendance. The spotlight was on Lindsey Vonn, the 40-year-old who made significant progress in her comeback journey Saturday with her first races in almost six years. Vonn […]
By PAT GRAHAM
COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) — For a couple of lower-tier downhill competitions, there sure were a lot of Olympic medalists and World Cup champions in attendance.
The spotlight was on Lindsey Vonn, the 40-year-old who made significant progress in her comeback journey Saturday with her first races in almost six years.
Vonn didn’t display particularly quick times and ended up in the middle of the group on a chilly but bright day at Copper Mountain. However, the goal wasn’t about times or standings, but rather regaining her speed and earning the required points to participate in the World Cup this season. Vonn successfully achieved both, claiming 24th place in the first downhill race and 27th in the second.
She shared on social media following the FIS races that she had accrued enough points to qualify for World Cup competitions. The timing couldn’t be better — the next event on the women’s tour is at Beaver Creek, Colorado, in a week. Vonn, who previously owned a residence in nearby Vail, has not announced a specific timeline for her World Cup return.
“Today felt like a great start and I had so much fun being at the start line with my teammates once more!” Vonn remarked on X. “While I’m sure people might speculate and say I’m not at my best based on the results, I beg to differ. This was a training day for me. I’m still testing out gear and getting back into the rhythm.”
Her rivals — a prominent lineup of elite ski racers — expressed admiration for her performance.
“I don’t anticipate her to return and win right away — just that she enjoys herself,” noted Federica Brignone of Italy, a former overall World Cup champion and three-time Olympic medalist. “She’s having a great time, and she’s doing what she loves. That’s the most important thing.”
In the first race on a frigid morning, Vonn finished 1.44 seconds behind the winning time of 1 minute, 5.79 seconds set by Mirjam Puchner of Austria.
During her second run later that morning, Vonn was 1.53 seconds behind Cornelia Huetter of Austria, who clocked in at 1:05.99. Huetter is the reigning season-long World Cup downhill champion.
“It’s really wonderful to compete against her again, and great to see her (racing) once more,” Huetter remarked. “For sure, the skiing World Cup benefits from her presence. It’s generally advantageous for all competitors as everyone’s taking notice.”
Also participating were Nadia Delago of Italy, who earned a bronze medal in downhill at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and Puchner, the Olympic silver medalist in super-G from Beijing. Additionally, there was Marta Bassino of Italy, who won the super-G at the 2023 world championships, and two-time Olympic champion Michelle Gisin of Switzerland.
“For me, it was certainly a training session, but it was exciting to have a World Cup-level competition right here,” Gisin stated. “It was a thrilling race.”
Vonn continues to be a beloved figure and took time after each run to sign autographs for young fans and pose for pictures.
When Vonn exited the sport, she had accumulated 82 World Cup race victories, setting the record for females and nearing the all-time Alpine record of 86 held by Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark.
The women’s record held by Vonn was surpassed in January 2023 by Mikaela Shiffrin, who currently boasts 99 wins — the most by any Alpine ski racer in the sport’s history. Shiffrin is presently sidelined following a crash during a giant slalom event in Killington, Vermont, last weekend.
Vonn’s last significant race was in February 2019, when she placed third in a downhill during the world championships in Sweden. The three-time Olympic medalist left the circuit while still performing at a high level. However, numerous broken limbs, concussions, and torn knee ligaments took a severe toll, leading her to retire.
She underwent a partial knee replacement last April and felt prepared to give competitive racing another attempt.
“It’s truly impressive to witness all the enthusiasm that Lindsey continues to have,” Gisin commented.
Also competing Saturday was 45-year-old Sarah Schleper, who formerly represented the United States but now skis for Mexico. Schleper was the next competitor after Vonn, and they seized the moment to connect as fellow 40-somethings still racing.
“I asked her, ‘Give me some tips, Lindsey,’” Schleper shared. “She replied, ‘Oh, it’s just about the highway tuck for the whole thing.’ Then she added, ‘It’s just like the good old days.’”
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