The American alpine skier Lindsey Vonn celebrated her 83rd World Cup victory at the first downhill run of the Alpine Ski World Cup in St. Moritz. The ski star won the race in Switzerland with a large lead over the Austrians Magdalena Egger (+0.98 seconds) and Mirjam Puchner (+1.16). It is the 41-year-old’s first World Cup success since her victory in Åre, Sweden in March 2018. She retired in February 2019.
Vonn had in the past Winter made their highly acclaimed comeback. The 2010 Olympic champion now rides with a partial knee prosthesis. At 41, Vonn is now by far the oldest winner in the World Cup. “It felt so good,” said the American on ARD. “At the moment I can’t give 100 percent and still drive cleanly with power. That was always the case for me in my best times.”
With her win, Vonn made a remarkable start to the final season of her career. “It’s unbelievable,” said former ski star Felix Neureuther as a TV expert on ARD. The 41-year-old is “a goddess”. Vonn said after the departure that she wasn’t even 100 percent clean.
During her comeback last winter, she was verbally attacked by several former ski greats. When asked about it after her win, she said: “Hello! Greetings!” After this performance, she should be one of the favorites for the Olympic Games in February.
The German team was also satisfied after the descent: Emma Aicher took fifth place (+1.41), Kira Weidle-Winkelmann came eighth (+1.58). The Winter Olympics will take place in Italy in just under two months.
