Lindsey Vonn’s expectations have changed so dramatically during her return to the Olympics that even getting on the podium now comes with a feeling of frustration.
The 41-year-old American finished third in the Women’s World Cup on Saturday in Val d’Isère, France, continuing a strong start to a season that has already included a win and a second-place finish in the space of nine days. But after a simple mistake at the bottom of the course cost her valuable time, Vonn left the finish area convinced she had let a potential win slip away.
Austria’s Cornelia Huetter had the cleanest race of the day to claim her first World Cup win of the season, clocking 1:41.54 minutes on the Aurier-Kelly course. Germany’s Kira Weidel-Winkelmann took second place, 0.26 seconds behind, while Vonn crossed the line 0.35 seconds behind the winner.
While racing in difficult flat light conditions, Vonn briefly lost her balance after misjudging the terrain near the bottom of the track, a moment she estimates cost her nearly half a second. Moments earlier, she had thrown her arms wide in disbelief when her split time fell below the early Weidel-Winkelmann standard.
“If you had asked me last year if I would have been happy to get on the podium, I would have said sure,” Vonn said afterwards. “But now I know I’m fast. When you make small mistakes, that’s the difference between winning and not winning.”
The result still marks Vonn’s third podium finish in four World Cup races this winter and the 141st of her career, an impressive number for the athlete who returned to competition last season after nearly six years of retirement. One year ago, she failed to reach the podium in her first 12 Tour races. She now leads the downhill standings throughout the season with 240 points.
Huetter, the defending Crystal Ball winner, was consistently faster than Vonn after the opening split and reached a speed of 126 kilometers per hour (78 mph) as she took her 10th career World Cup win. The 33-year-old Austrian now has five downhill wins and is emerging as a major contender for the Olympic downhill title in Cortina d’Ampezzo scheduled for February 8.
Italy’s Sofia Goggia, widely seen as Heater’s biggest threat, made a costly mistake. Fastest at halfway, the 2018 Olympic champion had to stand almost upright while correcting her balance exiting the turn and slid into rough snow, finishing eighth, 0.62 seconds off the pace.
For Vaughn, the broader picture remains largely positive. Since having a titanium implant fitted to her right knee, she has rediscovered speed and belief, clinching her first World Cup win in seven years last weekend in St Moritz. With less than seven weeks until the start of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games on February 6, she believes her track is exactly where it needs to be.
“I’m looking forward to recharging my batteries a little bit,” Vonn said. “I know I’ll be ready.”
Val d’Isère concludes its women’s program on Sunday with a Super-G race before the World Cup circuit pauses for the holidays, with the next sprint races scheduled for January in Altenmarkt, Austria.