Lindsey Vonn concluded her comeback season at age 40 with a second-place finish in a World Cup super-G race Sunday that was won by Swiss standout Lara Gut-Behrami.
Vonn found her vintage form while flying down the twisting and steep Challenger course at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. The American pumped her ski poles after glancing at the scoreboard as the large crowd roared.
This was Vonn’s first World Cup podium spot since March 15, 2018, when she finished third in a super-G in Are, Sweden. Vonn came out of retirement this season after a partial knee replacement.
It was Vonn’s 138th career World Cup podium in her 408th World Cup start. She is within one of tying the most starts by a female racer, a mark held by Renate Goetschl of Austria.
Gut-Behrami finished in one minute 12.35 seconds, edging Vonn by 1.29 (1:13.64) to earn the season-long super-G Crystal Globe by overtaking Italian racer Federica Brignone. Gut-Behrami trailed by five points heading into Sunday’s race.
WATCH | Victorious Gut-Behrami finishes season atop super-G standings:
Lara Gut-Behrami picks up her 47th World Cup win to capture the sixth super-G Crystal Globe of her career.
Gut-Behrami found plenty of speed and took some calculated risks to glide through the course. Brignone finished third in 1:13.68, 1.33 seconds behind Gut-Behrami.
The final season-long super-G standings ended up Gut-Behrami, Brignone and Sofia Goggia of Italy.
On Saturday, Brignone officially clinched the downhill discipline after the race was cancelled, along with the overall title.
No Canadians were entered in Sunday’s competition.
WATCH l Vonn talks about knee replacement and comeback journey:
American alpine ski racer, Lindsey Vonn, talks about her knee replacement and her journey back into skiing, ahead of the World Championships in Saalbach, Austria.