Lindsey Vonn recorded a DNF in a World Cup downhill event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, as she continues her quest to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics after a nearly six-year retirement.
According to Track & Field’s Zack Pierce, Vonn “was thrown out of position on one lap and skied with seven gates to go. “
Vonn, 40, won 82 times on the World Cup tour with four titles in total from 2008 to 2010 and in 2012. It should be noted that forty -three of its victories occurred in the descent test, while 28 derived from the super-gram.
Vonn is also a three-time Olympic medalist, taking gold in the downhill in 2010 and bronze in the Super-G in 2010 and downhill in 2018. She’s a two-time gold medalist in the World Championships as well (downhill and Super-G in 2009).
Injuries forced her to retire in 2019, with Vonn saying her frame was “broken beyond repair. ” She has suffered many knee surgeries and disorders in her career.
However, a 2024 knee replacement gave her a new life in the sport, and Vonn announced her return in November of his past year.
Vonn joined the World Cup tour and finished 14th in the Super-G at St. Moritz on Dec. 21. She steadily improved from there, taking sixth at the downhill on Jan. 11 in St. Anton, just .58 seconds behind first place. Then she finished fourth one day later.
Vonn hasn’t made it since, taking the descent in Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 18 before a crash led to a DNF in Super-G the next day.
Of course, there is still plenty of time for Vonn to qualify and there are other chances left this season. He also has time to record a weekend finale with the superG on Sunday.
In the end, Vonn has been impressive at times since his return, especially contemplating the long and arduous road he travels alone to compete again. In fact, his prefabricated speed in Cortina d’Ampezzo in his consistent With-G “would have supported a podium point,” consistent with Pierce.
Vonn has paintings to do, however, she obviously has her eyes fixed on the upcoming Winter Olympics, which begin in Milan and Cortina in Ampezzo, Italy, February 6. Vonn has already stated, according to Andrew Dampf of the Associated Press, that competing there “Would be a wonderful way to end things once and for all. “