Lindsey Vonn captures second downhill title ahead of Olympics

Lindsey Vonn surprised even herself with her World Cup victory in the downhill at Zauchensee, Austria, on Saturday.

The 41-year-old Vonn, who came out of retirement last season with a trip to the upcoming Winter Olympics her goal, clocked a time of 1:06.24 -- a number she didn't think was possible.

"I honestly thought with my start number I had no chance because there's so much snow and there wasn't really a track at No. 6," Vonn said after the race, per NBC Olympics. "I thought I had to risk a lot with my line to really stay in the hunt, so I just swung really hard. I'm happy with the way I executed. I think that's the most important thing I'm taking away from today."

It was the second downhill World Cup win of the season for Vonn, who was victorious last month as the circuit stopped in St. Moritz, Switzerland. She has qualified for the U.S. Olympic team that will compete next month at the Milano Cortina Games in Italy.

On Saturday, Kajsa Vickhoff Lie of Norway finished second, 0.37 behind Vonn. Another American, Jacqueline Wiles, was 0.48 seconds back and finished third.

It was a strong day for the American women, who saw three skiers finish in the top 10, four in the top 15 and five in the top 20.

Breezy Johnson, the reigning world champion in the downhill, was seventh. She continues to battle a back injury sustained in October that has limited her this World Cup season.

Prior to St. Moritz, Vonn's most recent World Cup victory came in 2018. She has won two of the four Cup races this winter -- she finished second and third in the others --- and is doing on it a rebuilt knee crafted out of titanium implants.

It was her 45th downhill victory, a record for any skier - man or woman - and her 84th Cup win. She is third all-time in that category, behind only Mikaela Shiffrin and retired Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark.

Vonn won the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and earned a bronze medal in the event at the Pyeongchang Games in 2018.

--Field Level Media