Lindsey Vonn Copper Mountain Photo: Meredith Guinan
Lindsey Vonn will test out the downhill and super-G courses as a forerunner before the Stifel Birds of Prey World Cup races this weekend in Beaver Creek, Colorado.
Gearing Up for a Comeback
The U.S. Ski Team confirmed her role Tuesday. A forerunner goes before the field to ensure the course runs smoothly and the timing system is properly working. There’s a downhill race slated for Saturday on the demanding Birds of Prey course and a super-G on Sunday. She’s also scheduled to forerun on all three training days starting Wednesday.
The 40-year-old Vonn has recently been on the comeback trail after nearly six years since her last major race. She successfully competed in a series of lower-level downhill and super-G competitions the previous weekend in Copper Mountain to gain enough points to be eligible for World Cup events. Vonn didn’t earn a spot in time for this weekend’s races in Beaver Creek and hasn’t announced a timeline for her return to the World Cup scene.
Vonn’s last major competition was in February 2019, when she took third in the downhill during the world championships in Sweden. An assortment of injuries, including her knee, sent her into retirement.
After undergoing a partial knee replacement last April, Vonn feels stronger on the slopes, dials in her ski equipment, and adjusts to high-speed skiing again.
“Life is really short, and I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Vonn said in an interview with The Associated Press on why she decided to return last weekend. “But I know what I’m going to do today — I’m going to have fun.”
Records and Rivals
When Vonn left the tour, she had 82 World Cup wins — the record for a woman at the time and within reach of the all-time Alpine mark of 86 held by Swedish standout Ingemar Stenmark. The women’s record held by Vonn was eclipsed in January 2023 by Mikaela Shiffrin, who now has 99 wins — more than any Alpine ski racer in the sport’s history.
Shiffrin is currently recovering from a crash in a giant slalom event in Killington, Vermont, on Nov. 30. Shiffrin sustained muscle trauma and an abdominal puncture wound but no ligament or bone damage. She will not take part in the Beaver Creek races.
About the Author: Associated Press
