Lindsey Vonn shines on Beaver Creek run ahead of comeback
Skiing as a forerunner, the 40-year-old star gave a scream of delight - and a taste of what might come next weekend at St. Moritz - after a run which would have been fast enough to earn her World Cup points as a competitor.
Alpine Skiing
Lindsey Vonn turned back the clock with a superb run ahead of the season's first women's downhill on Beaver Creek's legendary Birds of Prey course on Saturday (14 December).
Almost exactly 13 years after she won a World Cup Super G on the same Colorado piste, the alpine skiing legend went down it as a forerunner.
It was far from a leisurely run, however, as the the 40-year-old, who returns to action next weekend in St. Moritz having retired after her bronze at the 2019 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, showed she was taking it seriously by going straight into the tuck from the start and attacking the test in trademark fashion.
Her supporters made plenty of noise during her descent with a 'Lindsey Vonn Fan Club' flag waving in the finish area. And they were rewarded as the Vancouver 2010 downhill champion raised both ski poles above her head and screamed with delight after crossing the line.
Only the competitors have official times, but Vonn was hand-timed at 1:34.1 which would have placed her just inside the top 20 of the race won by reigning downhill World Cup champion Cornelia Huetter in 1:32.38.
The Beaver Creek run was a far stronger showing for Vonn than her two Super G races last weekend at Copper Mountain, Colorado where she finished 24th and 19th. The four-time Olympian insisted she was treating those events as "training" and that the best was yet to come.
Despite having an artificial right knee fitted in April, and a multitude of injuries over the years, Vonn has shown that she could still be a force on her comeback after almost six years away.