Proving that age is just a number and setbacks are meant to be overcome, 41-year-old American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn won her first World Cup downhill race in seven years.
Lindsey Vonn retired from skiing for five years, got titanium implants in her knee, and turned 41 two months ago.
Today, she won her first World Cup downhill in seven years and first since her surgery.pic.twitter.com/X8xGQwibN2
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 12, 2025
This is Vonn’s 83rd World Cup win of her career and gives her confidence and momentum as she aims to end her career at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina. The Cortina course is among Vonn’s favorites, and she has 12 wins on that course.
Lindsey Vonn Is Making A Brave Comeback
Vonn retired in 2019 but after having successful knee replacement surgery in early 2024, she announced her comeback in November 2024. In March 2025, she returned to the World Cup podium with a second place finish in the Super G in Sun Valley Idaho.
This win in St. Moritz makes her the oldest downhill World Cup winner in history.
The speed and the conditions make World Cup downhill skiing one of the most dangerous and frightening sports. Either the skiier gets down the mountain upright, or he or she falls which can be catastrophic at any age but especially for athletes in their 40s.
It takes a lot of confidence and nerves of steel to compete in this sport, and Vonn has been doing it for 25 years when she made her World Cup debut as a 16-year-old in November 2000.
It’s on for Lindsey Vonn! 🥇
The four-time Olympian just achieved her 83rd World Cup victory at the the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in St. Moritz!
Learn about her remarkable career. ➡️#MilanoCortina2026 #Olympics @lindseyvonn pic.twitter.com/gwax4HLSTu
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) December 12, 2025
Vonn’s quest for Olympic glory is one of the exciting storylines leading into February’s Cortina Olympics. Despite a stellar resume, she has just three Olympic medals: a 2010 gold (in Vancouver) and 2018 bronze in Downhill (in Pyeongchang) and a 2010 bronze in Super-G.
