Lindsey Vonn placed a pleasantly surprising sixth in her first World Cup downhill in six years and her second World Cup race overall since unretiring this season at age 40. Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill gold medalist, finished 58 hundredths of a second behind Italian Federica Brignone.

Vonn won a record 43 downhills in her 82-win World Cup career. Her previous World Cup downhill had been in January 2019, placing ninth at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Several weeks later, she took bronze in the 2019 world championships at Are, Sweden, before retiring.

Lindsey Vonn took it easier in downhill training a day after crashing for the first time of her World Cup comeback at age 40

Lindsey Vonn fell toward the end of a World Cup downhill training run on Thursday and appeared slightly banged up.

Lindsey Vonn said she is “good” and has only a few bruises after falling toward the end of a World Cup downhill training run on Thursday. The protective air bag that most downhill skiers wear inflated under Vonn's racing suit to help soften her fall.

Vonn exited retirement and began to race competitively earlier this winter for the first time in almost six years. Before 2024, she last raced in 2019, placing third in the World Championships. Despite naysayers —Vonn returned to racing at 40 and with a partially replaced knee containing titanium—she’s proven to herself and fans that she still has competitive potential.