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Lindsey Vonn continued her remarkable comeback by winning her second downhill World Cup of the season on Saturday at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee in Austria.
Vonn, 41, who had her right knee reconstructed with titanium implants, has proven she is the top downhill runner heading into her fifth Winter Olympics.
On a shortened course that took her less than 67 seconds to complete, Vonn still clocked 130 kph (81 mph), one of the fastest speeds any runner will reach this season. She was 0.37 seconds faster than Kajsa Vickoff Lie in tricky, cloudy conditions.
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Lindsey Vonn sprays sparkling wine as she celebrates on the podium after winning the women’s World Cup downhill race in Zauchensee, Austria, on January 10, 2026. (Giovanni Auletta/AP Photo)
“I knew what it was going to take to win today,” he said. “It was a sprint and I had to give everything I had, I definitely had to take a few risks.”
Vonn returned to skiing after being retired for six years and said she might be in the best shape of her career despite having partial knee replacement surgery. With each victory, Vonn extends her record as the oldest race winner in the 60-season history of the World Cup circuit. His 84th career victory at the circuit was his 45th in downhill, extending his record.
LINDSEY VONN QUALIFIES FOR FIFTH WINTER OLYMPICS
Lindsey Vonn accelerates during the women’s World Cup downhill race in Zauchensee, Austria, on January 10, 2026. (Marco Trovati/AP Photo)
Vonn extended her lead in the season-long downhill World Cup standings after finishing second and third in the other races. Saturday’s race was the fourth of nine scheduled World Cup downhills this season.
She earned 100 career points and now leads Emma Aicher of Germany, who placed sixth on Saturday, by 129 points. Vonn is chasing a ninth World Cup downhill season title 10 years after her eighth, when she also won in Zauchensee.
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Lindsey Vonn is airborne as she speeds down the track to win the women’s World Cup downhill race in Zauchensee, Austria, on January 10, 2026. (Giovanni Auletta/AP Photo)
“This summer I felt like I skied better in super G,” he said, “but when I got to the races in St. Moritz everything worked very well from the beginning.”
Vonn appears to be a strong contender for the gold medal race at the Milan Cortina Olympics, a race she won at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games.
