Lindsey Vonn 10th fastest in practice for first World Cup downhill in six years

Lindsey Vonn was 10th fastest on Thursday during a training run for her first World Cup downhill in six years.

Three weeks after the 40-year-old’s World Cup comeback in a super-G, Vonn completed the 2km Karl Schranz course 2.55 seconds behind Italy’s Federica Brignone. The American, who races on a titanium knee, was clocked at almost 68mph on a fast section of the hill where she won a downhill in December 2007.

A second training session is planned for Friday, prior to the race on Saturday.

Vonn has won 43 World Cup downhills – a record for men and women – among her 82 career victories, a total that puts her third on the all-time list. Mikaela Shiffrin, who is recovering from a crash during a race last month, has 99 and Ingemar Stenmark won 86 in the 1970s and 1980s. Vonn was also the Olympic downhill champion at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Vonn retired in February 2019 after the world championships in Sweden. Her surprise comeback builds on a return to her favorite downhill event. She placed 14th with a cautious run in the super-G on December 21 at St. Moritz, and a scheduled second race was canceled due to bad weather.

Vonn is also due to compete next week at Cortina d’Ampezzo – the women’s course for the 2026 Olympics, where she won six downhills and six super-Gs – and aims to qualify for the world championships in Saalbach next month.