Lindsey Vonn Makes History with Win at 41 in World Cup

Lindsey Vonn has achieved a historic milestone, becoming the oldest skier ever to win a World Cup race at 41. After retiring and undergoing serious knee surgery, the American superstar returned to competitive skiing last year and delivered a stunning performance in San Moritz on Friday.

Vonn, absent from racing for five years, dominated the women’s downhill, winning by nearly a full second. This was her first downhill victory in almost eight years and her first since returning with titanium implants in her right knee.

Her victory also positions her as a top contender for the downhill event at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina this February — the same event where she won her only Olympic gold in Vancouver 2010.

“It was an amazing day, I couldn’t be happier, pretty emotional,” Vonn said. “I felt good this summer but wasn’t sure how fast I was. I guess I know now how fast I am.”

This marks her 44th career World Cup downhill win and her 83rd World Cup victory overall. Austria’s Magdalena Egger finished second, 0.98 seconds behind Vonn. After crossing the finish line, Vonn celebrated by collapsing into the snow and raising her ski poles in triumph.

Vonn’s comeback season continues with another downhill race on Saturday and a Super-G event on Sunday. Encouragingly for her rivals, she believes there is still room to improve.

“I didn’t ski the best I could on the compression at the bottom, but I tried to be clean and dynamic as in training, and it was solid,” she said. “I’m really excited for Super-G because I’m skiing better in Super-G than in downhill.”

Before Vonn, the oldest male World Cup winner was Didier Cuche of Switzerland, who won a men’s Super-G at 37 in 2012. The previous oldest female winner was Italy’s Federica Brignone at 34 last season. Vonn has now set a new record for both men and women in World Cup skiing history.