Lindsey Vonn finished in 14th place in a super-G race on Saturday, marking her return to World Cup skiing at the age of 40. Vonn crossed the finish line 1.18 seconds behind the winner, Cornelia Huetter.
This race was Vonn’s first World Cup competition since retiring nearly six years ago. She is also scheduled to race another super-G in St. Moritz on Sunday.
Vonn had to end her career prematurely in 2019 due to a series of crashes and injuries. However, after undergoing knee replacement surgery in April and having two titanium pieces inserted into her right knee, she felt her knee was in better condition than it had been in years, prompting her return to skiing.
When she retired, Vonn held the record for the most World Cup wins by a woman with 82, just shy of the all-time Alpine record of 86 wins set by Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark. In January 2023, Vonn’s record was surpassed by American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin, who now holds the all-time record with 99 wins.
Mikaela Shiffrin, who holds the record for five wins in St. Moritz alongside Vonn, is not competing this weekend. She is recovering from abdominal surgery to treat a puncture wound she sustained in a crash last month.
Lindsey Vonn used a new wild card rule that allows former champions to enter races without needing the required points.
Eight-time overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher also took advantage of this wild card and returned to racing this season after a five-year absence. Unfortunately, Hirscher tore his left ACL while training for the giant slalom and announced earlier this month that his comeback season had ended.
Vonn is looking to break new ground in women’s skiing by achieving success at an older age.
The oldest woman to win a World Cup race is Federica Brignone, who triumphed in the giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, at age 34, at the start of this season.
For the men, Didier Cuche holds the record for the oldest winner, having won a super-G race in Crans Montana, Switzerland, at age 37 in 2012.
Johan Clarey set the record for the oldest podium finisher with a second-place result in the Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbuehel, Austria, at age 42 in January 2023.