Vonn 13th in return, but she’s happy
Considering she was racing for the first time in 322 days, Lindsey Vonn was OK with her 13th-place finish in a women’s World Cup downhill, even though days earlier she said that she had come to Austria to win.
“For now I am happy,” Vonn said. “It’s not really a matter of results. It’s a matter of just being happy to be racing again. Of course I had higher expectations of myself, but considering the conditions and the fact that we had a training run and the race today, I think it was pretty good.”
The four-time overall champion, who holds the women’s record of 76 victories, has been out with a knee injury and a broken arm since February. The fracture in her right upper arm also damaged nerves, which is still limiting mobility of her hand.
Sunday’s winner in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee was unexpected — Austria’s Christine Scheyer, making only her fourth World Cup downhill start, beat Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein by 0.39 seconds. Another surprise: Jacqueline Wiles of Portland, Ore., was 0.54 behind in third for her first career podium.
“I try to always have confidence in myself,” said Wiles, who had taken time off after a disappointing start to the season. “For me to be able to come out today and have a successful run the way I did is pretty awesome.”
Wiles’ result also felt like a victory for Vonn, whose foundation started financially supporting Wiles this season.
“I am very happy for Jackie,” Vonn said. “This is an incredible result for her. I am super happy.”
American teammate Julia Mancuso, also hoping to return Sunday after a nearly two-year injury layoff following hip surgery, skipped training and didn’t race.
Vonn has three weeks left, including speed weekends in Germany and Italy, to find her best form before the world championships begin Feb. 6 in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Men’s World Cup: At Wengen, Switzerland, Henrik Kristoffersen’s hot streak in World Cup slalom extended to his fourth win of the season as he took the points lead from runner-up Marcel Hirscher of Austria. Defending a first-run lead, the Norwegian raced through the final gates for a 0.15-second winning margin. Germany’s Felix Neureuther was 0.63 back in third.