Lindsey Vonn, 41, claims her 83rd World Cup win in St. Moritz, becoming the oldest winner ever and sending a message ahead of the Winter Olympics
LINDSEY Vonn claimed a sensational first World Cup victory since 2018 on Friday, cementing her remarkable comeback at the age of 41.
The American veteran threw down a gauntlet to her far younger rivals in the downhill ahead of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
Vonn rolled back the years to claim her 83rd career World Cup win, becoming the oldest winner of all time on the circuit two decades after her first.
The Minnesota-born skier rejoined the US team last season after retiring due to a serious knee injury in 2019.
She underwent a knee reconstruction using titanium and returned to competition last season, earning her first podium of her comeback in March.
After winning on Friday, she punched the crisp Swiss air with delight as her phone buzzed with congratulatory calls.
Vonn has teamed up with retired Norwegian double Olympic champion Aksel Lund Svindal this season to boost her Olympic chances.
“We worked really hard,” Vonn told TNT.
“Not just me, the whole team. I hired Aksel, I knew I was skiing fast, you never know until the first race, but I think I skied faster than I thought.”
Lund Svindal said he knew they were well prepared to fight for the win.
“She can be so clean, that’s where she can pull away from the field,” he added.
Fellow American Mikaela Shiffrin, who holds the record for World Cup wins, congratulated Vonn on Instagram.
Italian 2018 Olympic champion Sofia Goggia, who finished fourth, was one of the first to hug her great rival.
“I knew you could win, but not by that margin!” she whispered to Vonn.
Goggia admitted she did not think Vonn would be one second ahead of all the others.
Setting off 16th of the 61 racers, Vonn posted the quickest times in each sector of the course.
She crossed the line in 1 minute 29.63 seconds to lay down a stark reminder to her rivals ahead of the February Olympics.
Vonn finished nearly a second ahead of second-placed Austrian Magdalena Egger, who is 24.
Another Austrian, Mirjam Puchner, finished third.
This landmark performance puts her in contention to add to her Olympic downhill gold from the 2010 Vancouver Games.
She will be back on the St. Moritz slope on Saturday for another World Cup downhill.
“I’m going to try to get some sleep tonight and get ready for tomorrow,” she said.
“I’m actually getting excited for the super-G (on Sunday), because I’m skiing super-G better than downhill.”
Vonn seized skiing’s golden oldie record from Swiss skier Didier Cuche.
The oldest winner on the women’s circuit until Friday was Austrian Elisabeth Goergl.
On her return, Vonn said her comeback was about pushing boundaries and proving what’s possible. – AFP
