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Lindsey Vonn Takes Big Lead in St. Moritz Downhill as Olympic Push Accelerates

The 41-year-old is testing her Olympic bid after knee surgery with a retooled setup plus renewed strength.

Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Lindsey Vonn press conference - St. Moritz, Switzerland - December 10, 2025 Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. and trainer and ex-skier Askel Lund Svindal during the press conference REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Lindsey Vonn press conference - St. Moritz, Switzerland - December 10, 2025 Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. during the press conference REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Lindsey Vonn press conference - St. Moritz, Switzerland - December 10, 2025 Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. and trainer and ex-skier Askel Lund Svindal during the press conference REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Women's Downhill - St. Moritz, Switzerland - December 12, 2025 Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. in action REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Overview

  • Starting 16th, Vonn led Friday’s World Cup downhill by 1.16 seconds over Austria’s Mirjam Puchner, clocking the fastest lower splits and touching 119 kph on the Corviglia course.
  • She set the pace in Wednesday’s opening training at 1:30.95, ahead of Kajsa Vickhoff Lie and Sofia Goggia, with two downhills and a super-G scheduled in St. Moritz this weekend.
  • Vonn says she gained about 12 pounds of muscle over the summer and reports no pain after a 2024 partial knee replacement that included titanium implants.
  • Her preparations feature equipment tweaks, including a return to trusted boots, and the addition of former Olympic downhill champion Aksel Lund Svindal to her coaching team.
  • She aims to qualify for downhill, super-G and the team combined at Milan-Cortina 2026, with U.S. roster decisions expected in the coming weeks.