Lindsey Vonn, the renowned American skier, is making her return to the slopes at the impressive age of 40. After a tough start with two races where she didn’t finish, Vonn aimed to get back on track. On Sunday, she showed promising progress by finishing 13th in the World Cup Super-G event at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. This marked her best result since a near-podium finish in Austria just two weeks prior.
Throughout the race, Vonn maintained strong splits, ranking in the top-seven during the early and late parts of the run. She completed the race 1.40 seconds behind the champion, Lara Gut-Behrami from Switzerland, who celebrated her 46th career victory. Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie came in second, while Italy’s Federica Brignone took third.
Vonn wasn’t the only American achieving good results; her teammates Keely Cashman and Lauren Macuga performed exceptionally well, finishing 6th and 12th, respectively. Cashman’s sixth-place finish was particularly notable as it was her best result in a World Cup race so far. Meanwhile, Vonn had faced challenges the day before. In the downhill race on Saturday, she was forced to exit with just seven gates to go, marking her second consecutive DNF.
In that same downhill event, Breezy Johnson secured a close fourth place, missing her first podium by only six-hundredths of a second. Johnson had faced her own struggles in recent years due to injuries and a ban for anti-doping violations. Macuga, who had recently celebrated her first World Cup victory, finished sixth, while Jacqueline Wiles placed 11th.
The Super-G race on Sunday was crucial as it was the last speed event before the world championships kick off on February 4 in Saalbach, Austria. Vonn had previously crashed during a Super-G in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and had to sit out the next day due to injuries sustained in a hard fall. The event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen saw 17 skiers unable to finish across both days, highlighting the difficult conditions on the track.
Overall, Vonn’s results have varied since her return. Her journey back began after she retired in 2019 due to ongoing knee issues, ultimately leading to a knee replacement in 2024. She made her comeback official in November and rejoined the World Cup circuit in December, quickly achieving competitive results.
If Vonn can build on her recent performances, she could be well on her way to qualifying for the Olympic team for the upcoming games in Milan-Cortina. She expressed her desire for the 2026 Olympics to be a fitting conclusion to her remarkable career. A standout athlete, Vonn was part of the U.S. Olympic teams in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2018, securing three medals, including a gold in downhill during the 2010 Vancouver Games.
However, injuries have haunted her throughout her profession. She missed the 2014 Olympics due to a knee injury and had hinted at retirement during the 2018-19 World Cup season. After a frustrating weekend in Cortina in January 2019, she withdrew from competition, officially retiring a few weeks later after the world championships.
When she stepped away from the sport, Vonn was the most successful female alpine skier in World Cup history, boasting 82 race wins and four World Cup titles. Fellow American skier Mikaela Shiffrin has since surpassed her in victories and is aiming for her 100th World Cup win.
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