St. Anton, Austria — Lindsey Vonn finished an impressive sixth on Saturday in her first World Cup downhill race in six years.
The 40-year-old American star, the greatest downhill racer in Women’s World Cup history, was fastest on the first part of the course, reaching speeds of 124 km/h (77 mph), 0.58 seconds behind race leader Federica Brignone of Italy.
When Vonn crossed the finish line and saw his time was fifth fastest, he threw his arms in the air and smiled brightly.
Surprisingly, Vonn slipped to sixth place as World Cup downhill debutant Malorie Blanc, wearing bib number 46, took second.
The 21-year-old Swiss prospect, who wasn’t even born when Bonn began his World Cup career, finished just 0.07 seconds behind Brignone.
This was the second race in an unexpected new chapter in Vonn’s career, wearing titanium knees he acquired through surgery last year.
She finished 14th in the super-G three weeks ago in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Vonn has a record 43 downhill wins during his 82 World Cup wins. Her previous World Cup downhill was in January 2019, when she finished 9th in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Vonn skied in postcard-like conditions on a calm, sunny day at -8 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit). The Karl Schranz course was shortened to 1.9 km (1.2 miles) due to heavy snow after training on Thursday.
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AP Skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
