By Pat Graham, Sports Writer
Word on the mountain has it that Lindsey Vonn is still fast through a downhill course, even at 40 years old. Maybe even challenge-for-downhill-wins fast.
On a frigid Friday morning, Vonn darted through the shadows along the speed course at Copper Mountain and through the mist created by the snow makers. There was no clock at the bottom of the hill to measure just how speedy she was as she makes a comeback to skiing nearly six years removed from her last race. But she certainly looked the part of fast by dropping into a tuck position to become more aerodynamic, and even banging through a few gates on several high-speed runs.
Vonn plans to enter a series of lower-tier FIS downhill and super-G races this weekend at Copper Mountain in an effort to gain the necessary results to lower her ranking so she can possibly enter World Cup races this season under a new wild-card rule.
It could be the first step toward seeing her on the World Cup circuit again, maybe even on the podium.
"I honestly think she will win," retired ski racer Ted Ligety said in an interview with The Associated Press. "From what I've heard, she's been kicking (butt) and been really fast in training. Some of the women on the World Cup are going to be rudely awakened to have to compete against a Lindsey Vonn again."
Vonn declined to talk after her practice session Friday. She chatted with several racers on the hill and again inside the lodge, where her dog, Lucy, became the center of attention.
When she left the sport, Vonn's 82 World Cup race victories stood as the record for a woman and within reach of the all-time Alpine record of 86 held by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark. The women's mark held by Vonn was surpassed in January 2023 by Mikaela Shiffrin, who now has 99 wins — more than any Alpine ski racer in the history of the sport. Shiffrin is currently sidelined after a crash in a giant slalom event in Killington, Vermont, last weekend. The next World Cup races for the women's circuit will be held in a week in nearby Beaver Creek, Colorado. There's no timeframe for Vonn's return to racing.
Vonn's last competition was in February 2019, when she finished third in a downhill during the world championships in Sweden. In a lot of ways, the three-time Olympic medalist stepped away still near the top of her game. But the broken arms and legs, concussions and torn knee ligaments took too big a toll and sent her into retirement.
Last April, she had surgery for a partial knee replacement. She felt good enough to give it another go.
Ligety, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, applauds her for her comeback bid.
"It's beyond my risk appetite, but it will be really fun to watch," said Ligety, who's covering the World Cup races in Beaver Creek this weekend for NBC. "She left at the top of her game, obviously, because of her knee injury. She probably felt like she got short-changed in her quest to take down Stenmark in wins, being only four away and her body failed her.
"I can see how that would weigh on you. And then when you all of a sudden feel perfectly healthy again and you're not that old, I can see giving it some ideas. I understand where she's coming from and I think she has a good chance (to win races)."
The aura of Vonn hovered around the bottom of the slope Friday. She had several pairs of Head skis all ready to try out. After each run — at least three — Vonn would huddle with her team, take a quick swig of water and head back up the lift.
"She's still super-fast," fellow American teammate Keely Cashman said. "She's been helpful talking to us about whatever we need. We're excited to have her around."
What stands out about Vonn to Sophie Goldschmidt, the CEO of U.S. Ski and Snowboard, is the racer's "strength of mind and attitude," she said. "To be able to come back time and time again is very impressive.
"We're delighted that she's rejoined the team," Goldschmidt added. "Her achievements speak for themselves. She's clearly one of the most decorated athletes in the U.S. and had an amazing ski racing career. So for her to feel fit and strong enough to want to give it another go, I think is quite remarkable. I'm excited to see what she might be able to achieve."
