Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn will return to the World Cup stage this weekend, albeit as a forerunner, as part of her comeback after over five years away from the professional circuit. Vonn will test out the downhill and super G courses for three days of downhill training this week and the races this weekend.
Vonn raced four times this past weekend at Copper Mountain, at a lower-level FIS event, regaining her racing status with the FIS. Vonn’s status won’t update in time for the Beaver Creek Cup however, and the 40 year old admitted she isn’t ready to return to that level yet anyways. Despite some lower finishes at Copper, Vonn is feeling great about her progress.
“It’s been an amazing journey so far, but it’s not an easy process,” Vonn announced Wednesday morning on her Instagram page. “Last weekend was a success — I know a lot of people were saying that I was slow, but I thought it was amazing. … I haven’t skied and raced in six years, so I have some work to do, but my level of skiing is right there.”
Vonn returns to a familiar Beaver Creek course on which she claimed a 2011 super G Cup title. She also finished third at the World Championships super G there in 2015. Saturday will be a historic first downhill race for the women on the Beaver Creek course.
Vonn will use her downhill and super G runs this week as a barometer for her return to Cup action. She is still feeling great post-April’s partial knee replacement, but doesn’t want to rush back before it’s time. The next stop on the women’s speed Cup tour will come Dec. 21 and 22 in St. Moritz, Switzerland, where Vonn has won 5 titles and podiumed 10 times since first racing in 2001.
“I just have a couple of things I need to fix,” added Vonn. “This will be a great test for me to see if my body can handle it, and I’ve tried to keep my expectations low because I don’t know what’s going to happen. My knee has held up amazing so far — I have no pain, no swelling. It’s been incredible. But no one’s done this, so I’m testing it out and going step-by-step, slowly but surely, and when I’m ready I will enter into World Cup race.”
Vonn thanked all her fans for their continued support. She signed autographs and took pictures with fans at Copper.
The Beaver Creek results can be found on the FIS’ page. Information on how to watch the Cup can be found on the U.S. Ski Team’s website. This weekend will also see fellow Parkite Lauren Macuga, who won both of Copper’s super G races last weekend.