Lindsey Vonn, a three-time Olympic skier, returned to competition after nearly six years, taking part in races at Copper Mountain, Colorado, last Saturday. At the FIS Fall Festival, the 40-year-old athlete placed 27th in her second downhill race, and 24th out of 45 skiers in her first race.
Vonn said: “Today was a solid start and I had a blast being in start with my team-mates again…While I’m sure people will speculate and say I’m not in top form because of the results, I disagree. This was training for me.”
In a social media post, the athlete also remarked: “It’s been 6 years since I last raced so I still have a lot of equipment to test, finding my groove and really getting into racing form. I am having a lot of fun and want to keep on doing so!… Cheers to the next step in this incredible and exciting journey! Appreciate all of the amazing support ❤️🙏🏻”
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The American skier shared this month that she would return to the sport after her successful knee surgery last April, despite having retired in February 2019.
Vonn’s athletic performance
In the first race, Vonn was 1.44 seconds behind Austrian winner Mirjam Puchner, and in the second, she was 1.53 seconds behind Puchner’s countrywoman Cornelia Huetter.
Vonn made her World Cup debut at the age of 16 in 2000. She went on to win eight World Championship medals, 137 World Cup podiums, 82 World Cup victories, and 20 World Cup crowns. This included four overall Crystal Globes
Moreover, she won gold in the downhill competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and also placed third in the Super-G. In 2018, she won another downhill bronze in Pyeongchang.
Source: BBC