Lindsey Vonn claims another World Cup downhill as Olympic countdown begins

With less than a month remaining before the Winter Olympics, Lindsey Vonn delivered another emphatic reminder of why she remains one of alpine skiing’s most compelling figures. On Saturday in Zauchensee, Austria, the American legend captured her second World Cup downhill victory of the season, reinforcing her status not merely as an Olympic hopeful but as a genuine gold-medal favorite in the sport’s fastest discipline.

Just weeks earlier, during a brief pause in the World Cup calendar over the holiday period, Vonn had been asked to evaluate her form. Ever the perfectionist, she acknowledged technical mistakes in recent races but emphasized steady progress. She pointed out that she had consistently been close to the podium, if not standing atop it, in nearly every start this season. When the conversation turned to the upcoming Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, her confidence was unmistakable.

“For Cortina, things are looking pretty awesome,” she said at the time, inserting her trademark humor and intensity into the assessment.

Saturday’s performance transformed those words into reality.

In her first race since officially qualifying for the 2026 Olympic Games in the downhill, Vonn powered to victory with a time of 1 minute, 6.24 seconds on a demanding, snow-covered course. The result marked the 84th World Cup win of her career, extending a résumé already unmatched in women’s speed skiing. At 41 years old, and just over a year into a comeback few thought possible, she now sits firmly among the leading contenders for Olympic gold.

Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie finished second, 0.37 seconds behind Vonn, while fellow American Jacqueline Wiles claimed third, trailing by 0.48 seconds. For Wiles, it was her fourth career World Cup podium, adding to a strong showing for the U.S. team.

The conditions at Zauchensee presented unique challenges. Vonn started early with bib No. 6, at a time when the snowfall had not yet fully settled into defined racing lines. She exited the opening sections slightly off the pace, losing just over a tenth of a second to her nearest rival. However, as the course grew more technical in its lower half, Vonn’s strengths came to the fore. Over the final sections, she gained nearly half a second on Lie, sealing the victory with trademark precision and aggression.

“I’m not really known as a great glider,” Vonn explained afterward during the televised winner’s interview. “I knew the top wasn’t going to be my strongest part. Where I make the difference is in the turns.”

With fresh snow slowing the outer racing lines, Vonn deliberately chose a tighter, more direct path through the gates. It was a calculated risk, but one she felt was necessary to win.

“I stayed inside and took the more aggressive line,” she said. “I pushed just enough. That’s what it took today.”

The race itself was shortened due to heavy snowfall in the region, and Friday’s second training run had been canceled entirely because of the weather. While those circumstances can disrupt preparation for many athletes, they may have subtly favored a skier with Vonn’s depth of experience. She has raced Zauchensee countless times over her career and understands its nuances better than most.

“The training run was really difficult,” she said. “It was windy, slow, and honestly not very representative. I didn’t have much of a reference point, so I relied on memory—knowing where to push and where to stay patient. That made a big difference.”

Behind the podium finishers, Italy’s Laura Pirovano—currently the strongest downhill skier among the Olympic host nation—placed fourth. Switzerland’s Janine Schmitt and Germany’s Emma Aicher followed, while American Breezy Johnson, the reigning world champion in the discipline, finished seventh. With three skiers inside the top 10, the U.S. team enjoyed another encouraging day ahead of the Games.

Vonn’s presence at the front of the field remains remarkable given the arc of her career. Between 2002 and 2019, she amassed 82 World Cup victories, three Olympic medals, and eight world championship medals, becoming the most decorated female speed skier in history. Yet the physical toll of the sport—marked by repeated knee injuries, fractures, and surgeries—eventually forced her retirement in 2019.

For many athletes, that chapter would have been final. For Vonn, it was merely a pause.

In 2024, after undergoing a knee replacement surgery that gave her body a new lease on life, Vonn began contemplating a return. What followed was a carefully planned comeback that culminated in her rejoining the World Cup circuit in December of that year. The initial results were uneven, as expected, but flashes of her former brilliance began to emerge.

The breakthrough came at the end of the 2024–25 season, when Vonn finished second in a super-G race at the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. It was her first World Cup podium in seven years and a signal that her return was more than symbolic.

After dedicating the offseason to refining her technique and rebuilding strength, Vonn entered the current season with renewed confidence. She opened the campaign with a downhill victory in St. Moritz, Switzerland—her first World Cup win in nearly eight years. That emotional triumph, marked by tears and disbelief as she crossed the finish line, set the tone for what has followed.

Across six World Cup races this season in downhill and super-G, Vonn has reached the podium five times. She currently leads the downhill standings and has repeatedly stated that this will be her final competitive season.

Even so, she admitted that the speed of her success has surprised her.

“I actually felt better in super-G during the summer,” Vonn said. “But when I got to St. Moritz, everything clicked right away in downhill. Now it’s about maintaining confidence and continuing to ski the way I know I can.”

A scheduled super-G race on Sunday in Zauchensee was canceled due to overnight snowfall and high winds, limiting opportunities for further points before the Olympics. Still, Vonn remains the top-ranked American in that discipline by a significant margin, with only two speed-race weekends remaining before the Games begin.

The women’s Olympic downhill is set for February 8, and while Vonn stands out as a leading favorite, she may face a late challenge from Italy’s Federica Brignone. The reigning overall downhill champion has been working toward a comeback of her own following a serious leg injury suffered last April. Recently, Brignone shared on social media that her training was progressing well and hinted at a return in time for the Olympics.

Vonn responded enthusiastically in the comments: “Yessss!!!”

That exchange underscored the competitive respect shared between two of the sport’s most accomplished racers.

When Vonn captured her season-opening win in St. Moritz, she collapsed at the finish, overwhelmed by emotion. In Zauchensee, her reaction was markedly different. She raised a fist to the crowd, nodded, and maintained a focused, almost businesslike demeanor.

The reason was clear. With the Olympics looming, celebration has given way to purpose.

The countdown has begun. For Lindsey Vonn, the comeback story is no longer about proving she belongs. It’s about finishing the job.

Lindsey Vonn delivers another masterclass with World Cup downhill victory at Zauchensee

Lindsey Vonn has done it again, delivering another emphatic reminder of her greatness by claiming victory in the World Cup downhill at Zauchensee. The win marked yet another remarkable chapter in a career that continues to defy expectations long after many believed it had reached its conclusion.

It took 2,830 days for Vonn to secure her first World Cup victory after coming out of retirement, ending a long wait that stretched back to her final pre-retirement triumph in 2018. This latest success, however, came far quicker. Less than a month after her previous win, the American star powered her way down the snowy Austrian slopes to clock a winning time of 1:06.24, proving once again that she remains a dominant force in alpine skiing.

Conditions at Zauchensee were far from straightforward. Heavy snowfall and a developing track made early start numbers particularly challenging, and Vonn admitted afterward that she initially felt her chances were slim. Starting sixth, she believed the lack of a clear racing line would force her into taking significant risks. Ultimately, that aggressive approach paid off. Vonn committed fully to her chosen line, attacked the course with confidence, and executed her run exactly as planned—an achievement she later described as the most satisfying part of the day.

Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie finished second, just 0.37 seconds behind Vonn, securing her ninth career World Cup podium and her second at Zauchensee. American Jacqueline Wiles completed the podium in third place, finishing 0.48 seconds off the lead. It marked Wiles’ fourth career World Cup podium and her second at the Austrian venue, following a similar result back in 2017. The timing of the performance could hardly have been better, as it strengthens her case for Olympic selection.

The race was an outstanding day overall for the United States team. Three American skiers finished inside the top 10, four placed in the top 15, and five ended the day in the top 20. Notably, it was the first time since 2018 that two U.S. athletes shared a World Cup downhill podium. Fittingly, that last occasion also featured Vonn and Wiles standing together among the top three. The result carried added significance given that the race was held at a venue connected to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Breezy Johnson, the reigning downhill world champion, finished seventh despite continuing to manage a back injury that has hampered her training since October. Limited preparation time has made it difficult for Johnson to find peak form, but her performance suggested steady progress. Fellow Americans Allison Mollin and Keely Cashman also produced solid efforts, finishing 14th and 18th respectively.

For Vonn, the victory was yet another milestone in a career filled with them. It was her 84th World Cup win, moving her within just two victories of Ingemar Stenmark’s legendary total of 86. Should she surpass that mark, Vonn would sit second on the all-time World Cup wins list, behind only Mikaela Shiffrin. Her dominance in downhill racing is already unmatched, with 45 career downhill victories—more than any skier, male or female, in history.

The 41-year-old’s resurgence has been one of the sport’s most compelling stories. Last season, Vonn struggled to produce the consistent results she wanted, but a second-place finish at the 2024–25 World Cup finals in Sun Valley hinted that something special might still be possible. That promise turned into reality at the start of the 2025–26 season in St. Moritz, where she stunned the skiing world by standing atop the podium once again, overcome with emotion as she celebrated a triumphant return.

Vonn carried that momentum forward, finishing second the following day and fourth the day after. Her form remained strong a week later in Val d’Isère, where she collected third- and fourth-place finishes in a pair of speed events. A four-week break between Val d’Isère and Zauchensee raised questions about whether time away from racing might dull her sharpness, but instead it seemed to enhance it. Any concerns about rust were quickly erased by her commanding performance in Austria.

The win allowed Vonn to retain the red bib as the leader of the downhill standings, extending her advantage in the discipline. She also climbed to sixth place in the overall World Cup rankings, with the possibility of moving as high as third should she deliver another strong showing in the super-G.

When Vonn decided to return to competitive skiing following successful knee-replacement surgery, her main objective was clear: to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre holds special significance for her, as it is the site of 12 World Cup victories—more than any other skier has achieved there. Based on her performances so far this season, it is increasingly clear that Vonn will be far more than a ceremonial participant at those Games.

Through six races this winter, she has demonstrated that she is not only capable of contending for medals, but is arguably the clear favourite for downhill gold—and potentially more. Vonn herself has spoken confidently about her physical condition, explaining that her body is responding exactly as she hoped it would. She described feeling strong, versatile, and in control, capable of adapting her turns and lines as needed. For an athlete who has battled injuries throughout her career, that sense of physical freedom has been transformative.

While Vonn celebrated, the race also brought heartbreak. Austrian skier Magdalena Egger crashed after the second sector, prompting a lengthy interruption as medical teams attended to her. Although she initially attempted to ski away, she was ultimately transported down the mountain by ski patrol. Later reports confirmed severe knee injuries that will require surgery, ending her season and extinguishing her Olympic hopes. The injury was another blow for the Austrian team, already dealing with the absence of Katharina Liensberger.

The focus now shifts to Sunday’s super-G at Zauchensee, where Vonn and the rest of the world’s top speed skiers will be back in action. With her confidence soaring and her form undeniable, Lindsey Vonn continues to show that her remarkable story is far from finished.