All-Time Great Lindsey Vonn Gets Back In the Win Column
Most people get a knee replacement and hope they can walk up the stairs without wincing. Lindsey Vonn gets titanium implants and decides to hurl herself down an icy mountain at 75 mph.
On Friday in St. Moritz, Switzerland, the 41-year-old American didn’t just prove she could still ski; she proved she could still dominate. In a performance that defied logic, age, and medical history, Vonn secured her first World Cup victory in nearly eight years. It was her 83rd career win, but considering the hardware in her right knee and the five-year retirement gap, this one might be the sweetest.
A Stunning Victory For Vonn In Switzerland
Let’s put this win into perspective. In the world of downhill skiing, races are often decided by hundredths of a second—a blink of an eye. Vonn didn’t just edge out the competition; she left them in a different zip code. She finished 1.16 seconds ahead of Austria’s Mirjam Puchner. In this sport, that is an eternity. It is the equivalent of a football team winning by four touchdowns.
What made it even more absurd was the way she did it. Vonn was actually trailing by 0.61 seconds at the top of the course. But on the bottom half, she found a gear that nobody else had, screaming through the speed checks at nearly 75 mph. When she crossed the line and saw the green light, she punched the air, shrieked, and hit the “night night” celebration.
“I felt good this summer, but I wasn’t sure how fast I was,” Vonn said. “I guess I know now how fast I am.”
From Retirement To the Top Of the Podium
If you rewind to 2018, this moment seemed impossible. Vonn retired as the most decorated female skier in history, but she was physically broken. She described herself at the time as a “shell of a human being,” managing a body battered by crashes, fractures, and ligament tears.
She tried to pivot. She wrote a memoir, dabbled in private equity, and hung out at rodeos. She even revealed that Red Bull tried to recruit her for their Formula 1 team. But apparently, board meetings and race cars don’t provide the same specific cocktail of adrenaline and danger that the slopes do.
After a partial knee replacement surgery last year, which eliminated her daily pain, the itch returned. She wasn’t looking for a participation trophy; she wanted to win.
Vonn Targets Olympic Glory In Cortina
This victory in St. Moritz isn’t just a nice epilogue to a great career; it’s a warning shot for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Vonn has her sights set on the Milan Cortina Games in February.
To get there, she’s partnered with a new coach, Norwegian legend Aksel Lund Svindal. The partnership is clearly working. Vonn admits she’s “a little bit crazy” for doing this, but that willingness to risk everything is exactly what made her a legend in the first place.
She brushed off concerns about tarnishing her legacy, comparing her return to Michael Jordan. “I don’t think anyone remembers Michael Jordan’s comeback… I’ve already succeeded. I’ve already won.”
But unlike MJ’s stint with the Wizards, Vonn isn’t just putting up decent numbers on a bad team. She’s back on top of the podium. The rest of the field has been put on notice: The Queen is back, and she’s making up for lost time.
