It's been almost 16 years since Vonn celebrated her Olympic downhill gold in Vancouver. Now, with less than two months until the Winter Games, Vonn is one of the favorites in the discipline in Cortina. At 41, she's a winner again.
Only the first name is sensational.
When Vonn announced a year ago – amidst much fanfare – that she was planning to make a comeback after almost six years of absence, she was met with considerable skepticism. At that age? With those injuries behind her? With that knee restored with titanium?
She should see a psychologist, said two-time Olympic gold medalist Michaela Dorfmeister on Austrian television, adding:
Does she want to kill herself?
“Completely crazy”
The legendary Franz Klammer took the liberty of making a diagnosis.
She has gone completely crazy.
In the art of putting all doubters in their place, Vonn set a sort of unofficial world record in St. Moritz on Friday. The margin of victory over second-place Magdalena Egger, Austria, was 98 hundredths of a second, an eternity in downhill racing.
Sofia Goggia, who won the Olympic gold medal in the discipline in 2018, was among many who showered praise on Vonn. The Italian put her astonished admiration into words:
She put us all in school and left us with pacifiers in our mouths.
Gets energy from others' doubts
Vonn is clearly enjoying the excitement. She says she's driven by the doubts of others. It gives her energy.
I have to thank everyone who didn't believe in me because it really motivates me. I'm surprised people haven't figured it out. Every time people say bad things about me, it makes me stronger, better, and more motivated. They're welcome to take it out on me. It motivates me even more.
Friday's victory was anything but a one-off. Vonn followed up the next day with a second-place finish – also in the downhill. The successful weekend was rounded off with a fourth-place finish in the super-G on Sunday.
With the victory, Lindsey Vonn became the oldest World Cup winner of all time. In Cortina, she could become the oldest Alpine winner in an Olympic event. The location should be appropriate. Of Vonn's 83 World Cup victories, twelve have come in Cortina.
This weekend's women's downhill race will be decided in Val d'Isère, France, on Saturday.
Henrik Skiöld/TT
Facts: Lindsey Vonn
TT
Born: November 18, 1984 (age 41) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Championship achievements: Olympic gold in downhill in 2010, World Cup gold in downhill and in super-G in 2009, two Olympic bronzes, three World Cup silvers, three World Cup bronzes.
Alpine World Cup victories: 83 (44 in downhill, 28 in super-G, five in super combined, four in giant slalom and two in slalom).
Total victories in the World Cup: 4 (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012).
Other: Debuted in the World Cup in November 2000, winner of the downhill cup eight times, the super G cup five times, the super combination cup three times.
Current: Chose to retire in March 2019 but made a comeback last season. On Friday she won the downhill race in St. Moritz, her first victory in almost eight years. On March 14, 2018 she won the downhill race in Åre.
