Lindsey Vonn drove to victory. © ANSA / CLAUDIO THOMA

Incredible victory: The sheer Lindsey Vonn madness

The first women's downhill race of the season has been history since Friday. And it caused a sensation that couldn't have been louder.

12 December 2025

From: det

Lindsey Vonn has caused so many surprises throughout her career. But what the American pulled off in St. Moritz on Friday is a whole new level, even for her. The 41-year-old won her first World Cup race since her comeback in the exclusive Swiss resort – by a margin of one (!) second!

Yes, the scenes that unfolded in the finish area of ​​St. Moritz shortly before 11 a.m. were incredible. Lindsey Vonn, starting with bib number 16, initially trailed slightly, but then she really turned on the afterburners and suddenly skied like she was from another planet. When the American skier crossed the finish line, she had a 1,16-second lead over the then-leader Mirjam Puchner and a 1,31-second lead over third-place Sofia Goggia.

Austrian woman causes another sensation

Only sensational Magdalena Egger managed to break the deadlock: Starting with bib number 27, she finished in second place, the only athlete to finish less than a second behind (+0,98). For the 24-year-old Austrian, this was a huge relief: a six-time junior world champion and considered a great prospect, she had never truly made her mark on the big stage – partly due to injuries. That has now changed with her first podium finish.

Vonn delivered a fabulous performance. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

But back to Lindsey Vonn: With her 83rd World Cup victory (her first since March 2018), she has sent a clear message to her competitors. The star athlete, who turned 41 in October, aims to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games in February and crown her comeback. As a reminder, Vonn ended her career in 2019 but returned in the fall of 2024 with a partial knee replacement. Last season, Lindsey reached the podium for the first time in a while, finishing second in the final race in Sun Valley; now comes this incredible victory.

Strong Nicol Delago

Besides Vonn and Egger, Nicol Delago also made a strong statement. The Val Gardena native finished the race in a respectable 12th place and was the best Italian after Goggia (4th) and Laura Pirovano (8th). This is a good step towards Delago's big goal, the Olympic Games. Nadia Delago (31st) and Vicky Bernardi (46th) did not finish in the points, and Sara Thaler was disqualified.

Things are now happening very quickly in St. Moritz: The second downhill race is scheduled for Saturday at 10:45 a.m., followed by the Super-G at the same time on Sunday.