Lindsey Vonn returned to a ‘perfect start’ in World Cup comeback after retirement to finish 14th in the Super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Saturday. This was her first alpine skiing race in six years.
Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill gold medalist and four-time World Cup overall champion, finished 1.18 seconds behind Austrian winner Cornelia Hutter.
“It feels so good to have the nerves and to have the butterflies and to have the adrenaline and to push yourself,” Vonn told Eurosport. “I always feel like it’s just me against the mountain, and I love that feeling. Ski racing, there’s no limit to what you can push yourself to. So I think this is a perfect start, and I’ll look forward to trying to improve every race.”
The 40-year-old became the second oldest woman to start a World Cup and oldest to earn World Cup points.
She was also the second fastest US woman behind Lauren Macuga, who tied for seventh overall.
“I was a little bit behind. I forgot a couple of things,” said Vonn, who contested lower-level races earlier this month to become eligible to return to the World Cup. “I was a little bit hectic because I just haven’t done it in a while. You get into a routine, and everything runs so smoothly, and I’m just getting back in the routine.”
Vonn is using this season as preparation for next season and her ultimate goal of making her fifth Olympic team in 2026.