Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) (AFP) – Lindsey Vonn admitted the tears flowed following victory in Saturday’s downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen — her first after nearly a year sidelined by injury — to claim her 77th World Cup win.
The US ski queen surged down the icy Kandahar course in one minute 43.41 to claim victory with Swiss Lara Gut, last season’s overall World Cup winner, second at 0.15sec with Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg third at 0.48.
It was an impressive display in only Vonn’s second World Cup race since breaking her right arm in a training fall in November, which came on the back of a fractured left knee while racing in Andorra last February.
“It feels amazing. I just got to the bottom and I cried,” revealed the 32-year-old Vonn.
“I’ve worked really hard to come back.
“I feel like sometimes I come back so quickly that everyone forgets how much time and energy, blood, sweat and tears it takes to come back without any training and just jump in there.”
Vonn made her return to competition last week and had to be content with a disappointing 13th at Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, but the four-time overall World Cup winner dominated for her third downhill win in Garmisch.
She chalked up her 77th World Cup victory, edging her closer to Ingemar Stenmark’s all-time record of 86 wins.
Vonn can make it 78 by winning Sunday’s super-G in Garmisch.
“I’m so happy that it only took me two races to get back on the top step,” Vonn said of her podium finish.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure after Zauchensee how long it would take me.
“I proved to myself today that all the work that I put in is really coming through.”
Her downhill victory is perfect timing ahead of the world skiing championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, from February 6-19.
The 2010 Olympic downhill champion last won the event’s world championship title in Val d’Isere in 2009.
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