Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn, 40, shines in first World Cup downhill in six years after shock retirement U-turn
LEGENDARY skiing champion Lindsey Vonn has made a triumphant return to downhill action aged 40.
The former Winter Olympic gold medalist finished sixth in her first World Cup downhill event since 2019 on Saturday.
Vonn underwent partial right knee replacement surgery last April.
She returned to training over the autumn and U-turned on her retirement in October.
Vonn finished 58 hundredths of a second behind winner Italian Federica Brignone at Saturday’s event in St Anton, Austria.
She is now the oldest woman on record to finish in the top 30 of a World Cup.
A delighted Vonn said: “I loved being back at the start.
“I feel a little bit more confident and comfortable in downhill than I do in Super-G.
“I know this hill really well, so I knew the challenges that it had today and with the snow conditions, where you had to execute.
“I still made a couple of mistakes, I know I can be faster, but I think for the first Downhill race in six years it was a pretty good start.”
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Vonn has previously won four World Cup championships and initially hung up her skis in 2019.
Speaking to NBC prior to her comeback, the 40-year-old is confident she can still mix it with the very best.
Vonn said: “I’ve tried to keep everything in perspective and not set goals too high.
“But ultimately, if I can make it to Cortina, that would be my goal.
“To be able to ski without pain, it’s a completely new world for me.
“I haven’t felt this good in 15 years.
“While I am very excited to be participating, I definitely have goals and expectations.
“I’m trying to be as patient as possible with myself on this journey and take it step by step and not skip any steps.
“I know my way back to a competitive level might take a race or two.
“But I certainly intend on getting back to where I was before.”