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Lindsey Vonn continued her remarkable comeback by winning her second World Cup downhill of the season on Saturday at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee in Austria.
Vonn, 41, whose right knee was reconstructed using titanium implants, has proven herself to be an excellent downhill runner heading into her fifth Winter Olympics.
On a shortened course that took her less than 67 seconds, Vonn still managed a time of 130 km/h (81 mph), one of the fastest speeds a female runner can achieve this season. She was 0.37 seconds faster than Kajsa Vickoff Lie in difficult and overcast conditions.
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Lindsey Vonn splashes sparkling wine as she celebrates on the podium after winning the Women’s Downhill World Cup in Zauchensee, Austria, January 10, 2026. (Giovanni Auletta/AP Photo)
“I knew what it would take to win today,” she said. “It was a sprint and I had to give it my all, I definitely had to take a little risk.”
Vonn returned to skiing after being retired for six years and said she could be in the best shape of her career despite having a partial knee replacement. With each victory, Vonn extends his record as the oldest race winner in the 60-season history of the World Cup circuit. His 84th career victory on the tour was his record 45th downhill race.
LINDSEY VONN QUALIFIES FOR FIFTH OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
Lindsey Vonn races down the course during the women’s World Cup downhill race in Zauchensee, Austria, January 10, 2026. (Marco Trovati/AP Photo)
Vonn increased her lead in the season’s Downhill World Cup standings after finishing second and third in the other races. Saturday’s race was the fourth of nine scheduled World Cup descents this season.
She scored 100 points in the race and now leads by 129 points ahead of Germany’s Emma Aicher, who placed sixth on Saturday. Vonn is aiming for a ninth downhill World Cup title, 10 years after her eighth, when she also won at Zauchensee.
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Lindsey Vonn is in the air as she races down the course to win the Women’s World Cup downhill race in Zauchensee, Austria, January 10, 2026. (Giovanni Auletta/AP Photo)
“I felt like I was skiing better in super-G this summer,” she said, “but when I got to the races in St. Moritz, everything was working great from the start.”
Vonn appears to be a strong contender for the gold medal race at the Milan Cortina Olympics, a race she won at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
