41-Year-Old Vonn Sets Age Record with Downhill World Cup Win

American skier Lindsey Vonn is back. She became the oldest downhill World Cup winner on Friday in St Moritz, Switzerland. Vonn is 41 years old. She had retired in February 2019 due to knee problems. Her competitive return was in December 2024.

Vonn finished in 1 minute and 29.63 seconds. This was nearly a second quicker than second-placed Magdalena Egger. The win was her 83rd World Cup victory. It was also her first since 2018.

Vonn seized the oldest World Cup winner record. It was previously held by Switzerland’s Didier Cuche (37). The oldest female winner was Austrian Elisabeth Goergl (33).

“I think I was a little faster than I expected,” Vonn told TNT Sports. “It’s a very exciting time.” She has one gold and two bronze Olympic medals. She plans to represent the USA at the 2026 Games.

On Saturday, Vonn finished second in the next downhill race. She was just 0.24 seconds behind German winner Emma Aicher. Vonn slipped in the middle section of the course. She said: “So it happens, that’s ski racing… on to the next one.” Vonn will compete in her first Super-G event on Sunday.