Lindsey Vonn's remarkable comeback continues with downhill win in Zauchensee

Jason Sargent Saturday, January 10, 2026

- - Lindsey Vonn's remarkable comeback continues with downhill win in Zauchensee

Nancy Armour, USA TODAY January 10, 2026 at 9:36 AM

Lindsey Vonn might surpass Ingemar Stenmark, after all.

Vonn got her 84th career World Cup victory Saturday, Jan. 10 with a win in the downhill at Zauchensee, Austria. It's her second win of the season, and puts her two behind Stenmark. Vonn has at least three more races before the Winter Olympics, including a super-G race Sunday.

In cloudy and snowy conditions, Vonn was solid and in control the entire course. She glanced at the scoreboard after crossing the finish line, then gave a couple fist pumps as the crowd cheered. Vonn's time of 1:06.24 was 0.37 seconds ahead of Kajsa Vickhoff Lie of Norway.

Jackie Wiles, one of Vonn's U.S. teammates, was third, 0.48 behind Vonn.

The win extends Vonn's lead in the season downhill standings, and moves her up to sixth in the overall race.

Lindsey Vonn storms into the lead on the Zauchensee downhill and lays down a SERIOUS marker 🔥🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/dlIaMp1Gpe

— TNT Sports (@tntsports) January 10, 2026

This is Vonn's second win in four downhill races this season, making what was already a remarkable comeback story simply stunning. Vonn, now 41, retired in 2019 because of the toll a series of serious injuries had taken on her body.

But a partial knee replacement in the spring of 2024 had Vonn feeling so good she wondered if she could race again. She returned to the World Cup circuit in December of 2024, and her first season was one of mixed results before she finished with a silver medal in the super-G at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho.

With an entire off-season to train and fine-tune her equipment, though, Vonn has been dominant. She's been fourth or better in every race, and been on the podium in each of her four downhill races. She also was third in her most recent super-G, at Val d'Isère, France.

It puts Stenmark back in Vonn's sight. The Swedish great won a then-record 86 races, and Vonn had hoped to break his record. But she was three shy when she retired in 2019.

Mikaela Shiffrin has since broken Stenmark's record, getting her 87th victory in 2023. She's put that mark out of reach, probably forever, now at 106 World Cup wins.

Lindsey Vonn of Team United States in action during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Downhill on Dec. 20, 2025 in Val d'Isere, France.

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Lindsey Vonn of Team United States in action during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Downhill on Dec. 20, 2025 in Val d'Isere, France.

">Lindsey Vonn of Team United States in action during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Downhill on Dec. 20, 2025 in Val d'Isere, France.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Dn3rFgRLw.tThJXW9OAKog--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/150a319b7445e4bda9ba74fc7235abaa class=caas-img>Austria's Cornelia Huetter, second-placed Germany's Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and third-placed US Lindsey Vonn celebrate with champagne on the podium after competing in the women's downhill race part of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2025-2026, in Val d'Isere, south western France, on Dec. 20, 2025.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/TZsNjKmt7V9D5monb6wRug--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/bab8740aba7a9d097f1cc789ecf91619 class=caas-img data-headline="Lindsey Vonn on and off the slopes" data-caption="

Austria's Cornelia Huetter, second-placed Germany's Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and third-placed US Lindsey Vonn celebrate with champagne on the podium after competing in the women's downhill race part of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2025-2026, in Val d'Isere, south western France, on Dec. 20, 2025.

">Austria's Cornelia Huetter, second-placed Germany's Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and third-placed US Lindsey Vonn celebrate with champagne on the podium after competing in the women's downhill race part of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2025-2026, in Val d'Isere, south western France, on Dec. 20, 2025.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/TZsNjKmt7V9D5monb6wRug--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/bab8740aba7a9d097f1cc789ecf91619 class=caas-img>

Lindsey Vonn of Team United States (second), Lara Gut-Behrami of Team Switzerland (first), and Federica Brignone of Team Italy (third) celebrate after competing in the women's Super-G during the STIFEL FIS World Cup Finals at Sun Valley Resort on March 23, 2025 in Sun Valley, Idaho.

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">Lindsey Vonn of Team United States (second), Lara Gut-Behrami of Team Switzerland (first), and Federica Brignone of Team Italy (third) celebrate after competing in the women's Super-G during the STIFEL FIS World Cup Finals at Sun Valley Resort on March 23, 2025 in Sun Valley, Idaho.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/qzJn9LEazGnTsgLLZfBFug--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/89fe21484251c632357ab43e59e2627f class=caas-img>

Lindsey Vonn of the United States inspects the course before women's downhill training for 2025 FIS Ski World Cup finals at Sun Valley on March 21, 2025.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/uUKIMDudBlco2f7wpSOe9w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/91a1a1bc8428765a04f8124c3104eee4 class=caas-img data-headline="Lindsey Vonn on and off the slopes" data-caption="

Lindsey Vonn of the United States inspects the course before women's downhill training for 2025 FIS Ski World Cup finals at Sun Valley on March 21, 2025.

">Lindsey Vonn of the United States inspects the course before women's downhill training for 2025 FIS Ski World Cup finals at Sun Valley on March 21, 2025.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/uUKIMDudBlco2f7wpSOe9w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/91a1a1bc8428765a04f8124c3104eee4 class=caas-img>Lindsey Vonn attends the Balenciaga Womenswear Fall/Winter 2025-2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Les Invalides on March 9, 2025 in Paris, France.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/2wbd0zKq1rIK8Knt0qtj3A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xNjU1/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/657554f15a647ad4ce5520f078ef0ffd class=caas-img data-headline="Lindsey Vonn on and off the slopes" data-caption="

Lindsey Vonn attends the Balenciaga Womenswear Fall/Winter 2025-2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Les Invalides on March 9, 2025 in Paris, France.

">Lindsey Vonn attends the Balenciaga Womenswear Fall/Winter 2025-2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Les Invalides on March 9, 2025 in Paris, France.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/2wbd0zKq1rIK8Knt0qtj3A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xNjU1/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/657554f15a647ad4ce5520f078ef0ffd class=caas-img>Lindsey Vonn and Bronze medalist Lauren Macuga of Team United States pose for a photo after the awards ceremony for the Women's Super G during the Audi FIS Alpine World Ski Championships at Zwšlferkogel on Feb. 6, 2025 in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria.

" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/BPdrq2r6t1p1WQ1FDGYWnw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/4a80935a0bdc0288da03a2941015deba class=caas-img data-headline="Lindsey Vonn on and off the slopes" data-caption="

Lindsey Vonn and Bronze medalist Lauren Macuga of Team United States pose for a photo after the awards ceremony for the Women's Super G during the Audi FIS Alpine World Ski Championships at Zwšlferkogel on Feb. 6, 2025 in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria.

">Lindsey Vonn and Bronze medalist Lauren Macuga of Team United States pose for a photo after the awards ceremony for the Women's Super G during the Audi FIS Alpine World Ski Championships at Zwšlferkogel on Feb. 6, 2025 in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria.

" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/BPdrq2r6t1p1WQ1FDGYWnw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/4a80935a0bdc0288da03a2941015deba class=caas-img>