Defying all odds, American gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (41) won the first Women’s World Cup downhill event of the season on Friday in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Then today, she almost did it again, finishing second to Emma Aicher of Germany by 0.24 seconds. The win on Friday, her 83rd World Cup title, was her first since a downhill race in Are, Sweden, in March 2018.
The 2010 Olympic Downhill Champion bested Magdalena Egger of Austria by 0.98 seconds for the win. Also, with her victory on Friday, she became the oldest World Cup race winner, eclipsing Switzerland’s Didier Cuche, who at 37 won a men’s Super-G in 2012. Federica Brignone of Italy was the oldest female winner at 34 when she took first in the giant slalom at the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, last February.
Vonn Skis Into Immortality
And Vonn continues to rack up more records with each race. Today’s second-place finish came in her record-breaking 410th World Cup race. Austrian skier Renate Götschl was the former record holder with 409 races. And her podium appearance today was the 140th of her career. American skier Mikaela Shiffrin holds the record with 156 career World Cup podiums.
Friday’s race was Vonn’s 125th start in a World Cup downhill during her incredible career. It occurred 24 years after her first downhill at Lake Louise, Canada. During her career, she has won a record-extending 44 downhills, a gold medal in the downhill at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, another gold at the 2009 world championships at Val d’Isere, France, and her 44 World Cup wins in the downhill are more than the other 60 racers combined who started Friday.
Long Way Back and the Path Forward
Vonn returned to skiing last season after nearly six years of retirement. This followed a partial replacement surgery on her right knee, which included the insertion of two pieces of titanium. Her ultimate goal is to win another gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Games in February. Short-term, she is hoping for another victory in the super-G race in St. Moritz on Sunday, where she will compete against Shiffrin.
After her historic win on Friday, Vonn was looking to the future.
“I knew I was skiing fast, but you never know until the first race. “I think I was a little faster than I expected. I think I had a great run, but I also made some mistakes, so I’m excited for tomorrow. I still didn’t ski the best I could have on the compression on the bottom, but I just tried to be dynamic, tried to be clean, the way I’ve been skiing in training, and it was pretty solid. I’m actually really excited for Super-G because I’m skiing better in Super-G than I am in downhill.”
Ever the Competitive Champion.
