Lindsey Vonn nearly did it again. The 41-year-old American finished second in a World Cup downhill on Saturday, a day after becoming the oldest winner in the circuit’s history. After winning the season’s opening downhill by nearly a full second on Friday, Vonn was beaten by only one racer this time: Emma Aicher of Germany was 0.24 seconds faster.
Vonn attributed a mistake landing a jump midway down her run for the gap, when she nearly lost her balance for an instant and leaned heavily on her left leg to raise herself back up. “I’m a little bit tired from yesterday, there was a lot of emotion,” Vonn told Swiss broadcaster RTS. “I thought I skied pretty well on top then I was just out of balance, I fell on my hip. Yeah, didn’t ski the bottom the way I wanted to.” Sofia Goggia, the 2018 Olympic champion from Italy, finished third, 0.29 behind, and Breezy Johnson, the American world champion, was fourth, 0.40 back.
Vonn, who is preparing for the Milan Cortina Olympics, went into first position with her run down the sun-drenched Corviglia course. But the 22-year-old Aicher came down next and quickly pushed Vonn out of the leader’s seat. Vonn returned to skiing last season after nearly six years of retirement — following a partial replacement surgery on her right knee, which included inserting two pieces of titanium.
Vonn’s results are shaping up to make her a top medal contender at the Olympics — and able to compete with skiers half her age. Women’s Alpine skiing at the Feb. 6-22 Winter Games will be contested at Cortina d’Ampezzo, where Vonn holds the record of 12 World Cup wins.
Vonn registered the top speed of 102.45 kph (64 mph) on the top section; increased her speed to 110.02 kph (68 mph) on the bottom and flew a massive 41 meters (yards) off a jump toward the end of her run
Vonn also clocked the fastest time in the final sector — a sign of her increased fitness this season. She said earlier this week that she added 12 pounds (5.5 kilograms) of muscle during dry-land training over the summer and followed a rigid diet. When Vonn crossed the finish line and saw that she was ahead of Goggia, Vonn celebrated thinking that she had won. She let out a scream, punched the air with one of her poles and then raised her arms over her head, shaking her head in apparent disbelief.
It was Vonn’s 140th podium result and it came in a record-breaking 410th World Cup race. Former Austrian skier Renate Götschl held the previous record with 409 races. It was Aicher’s third World Cup victory and second in downhill. She’s a rare all-around skier capable of being competitive in all four disciplines — like Vonn at the height of her career.
Aicher also finished on the podium in a slalom this season, placing third in Levi, Finland. Vonn could aim for another victory in a super-G in St. Moritz on Sunday — in a race that fellow American standout Mikaela Shiffrin is also expected to compete in.
