Lindsey Vonn impresses skiing into 6th place in her first World Cup downhill race since 2019

ST ANTON, Austria -- Lindsey Vonn skied into an impressive sixth place in her first World Cup downhill race for six years on Saturday.

The 40-year-old United States star — the greatest downhill racer in women's World Cup history — was fastest in the first part of the course touching 124 kph (77 mph) and finished 0.58 seconds behind race leader Federica Brignone of Italy.

Vonn raised both arms in the air and flashed a big smile when she crossed the finish line and saw her time was fifth-fastest.

Stunningly, Vonn was later pushed down to sixth when World Cup downhill debutant Malorie Blanc wearing bib No. 46 raced into second place.

The 21-year-old Swiss prospect — who was not born when Vonn started her World Cup career — finished just 0.07 seconds behind Brignone.

It was the second race of this unexpected new chapter of Vonn’s storied career with a titanium knee she acquired in surgery last year.

She had been 14th in a super-G three weeks ago at St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Vonn won a record 43 downhills in her 82-win World Cup career. Her previous World Cup downhill had been in January 2019, placing ninth at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Vonn skied in picture postcard conditions, on a still and sunny day with -8 Celsius (18 Fahrenheit) temperatures. The Karl Schranz course was shortened to 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles) because of heavy snowfalls after Thursday’s training run.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing