Lindsey Vonn continued her impressive performance in the current season of the Milan Cortina Olympics by securing third place in a World Cup downhill event held in Val d’Isere, France. The victory in this race went to Cornelia Huetter.
Vonn now boasts a series of podium finishes, including a win, a runner-up position, and now a third-place finish, across the initial three World Cup downhill races spanning nine days of competition in Switzerland and France. Huetter, racing right after Vonn, consistently maintained a slight edge after the initial split time and reached a speed of 126 kph (78 mph). Ultimately, she finished 0.26 seconds ahead of Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and 0.35 seconds in front of the 41-year-old American star.
The top-performing Canadian competitor was Val Grenier from St. Isidore, Ontario, who finished in 24th place. Vonn has further solidified her lead in the World Cup downhill standings for the ongoing season.
Despite challenging visibility conditions on the 2.8-kilometer O.K. course, 2018 Olympic champion Sofia Goggia posed a significant threat to Huetter. Goggia, starting with bib number 14, displayed strong performance halfway through the race but struggled to maintain her balance in a turn, which cost her time. She ended up 0.62 seconds behind Huetter, securing the eighth spot.
Huetter, a 33-year-old Austrian, clinched her fifth downhill victory among her ten career World Cup wins and previously secured the season-long title in 2024. As a result, she is expected to be a strong contender for a medal in the Olympic downhill event scheduled for February 8 in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Vonn, aiming for her fifth Olympics after a remarkable comeback following a nearly six-year hiatus, has her sights set on the Milan Cortina Winter Games. She has previously achieved gold in Vancouver 2010 and bronze in Pyeongchang 2018. The upcoming event in Val d’Isere will feature a super-G race on Sunday, following Vonn’s fourth-place finish in the discipline at St. Moritz, where Alice Robinson of New Zealand emerged victorious.