Lindsey Vonn has skied into an impressive sixth place in her first World Cup downhill race for six years.
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The 40-year-old United States star — the greatest downhill racer in women's skiing annals — was fastest in the first part of the course, touching 124 kph, and finished 0.58 seconds behind Italian race winner Federica Brignone.
Vonn, who'd started 32nd of the 51 racers, 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 fun. I love being back in the start. I feel a little bit more confident and comfortable in downhill than I do in Super G," Vonn told Eurosport.
"I still made a couple of mistakes - I know I can be faster - but I think for the first downhill race in six years, it was a pretty good start."
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.
In the men's World Cup slalom race in Adelboden, Switzerland, Clement Noel skied through the fog to win and deny Brazil a first-ever victory by just 0.02 seconds.
The 2022 Olympic champion rose from third place in the first run to get his third win this season and beat Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the Norway-born racer who now represents his mother's home nation Brazil.
Henrik Kristoffersen, Braathen's former teammate, placed third, trailing Noel by 0.14, and leads the slalom standings from his French rival.
With DPA
Australian Associated Press
