Lindsey Vonn, at 41, is embarking on her Olympic racing season with a renewed sense of power and an immediate demonstration of dominance, having pulled away from the field in the very first official downhill training session of the season.
The legendary skier, who has gained 12 pounds of muscle and enlisted a new superstar coach, is set to kick off her World Cup campaign this weekend in St. Moritz, Switzerland, with two downhills and a super-G.
Vonn, who returned to the slopes last season after nearly six years in retirement and a partial knee replacement involving titanium implants, expressed remarkable confidence in her physical condition.
"Physically I’m in possibly the best shape I’ve ever been in," Vonn stated at a news conference in the Swiss resort. "And my body doesn’t hurt, so that’s the best part of all."
Her comeback last season saw mixed results, culminating in a second-place finish in a super-G on home snow in Sun Valley, Idaho, her only podium appearance.
This season, however, Vonn attributes her enhanced performance to a rigorous summer regimen.
"My goal was to get a lot stronger this summer," she explained. "I was thinner than I would have liked last season. I didn’t really have any time to prepare so I didn’t have time to gain my mass back. I was still quite a bit lighter than I was when I was racing in my prime."
She added, "But I was able to gain about 12 pounds (5.5 kilograms) this summer, which I was thrilled about. It took a lot of hard work. I was probably the most disciplined I’ve ever been with my diet and just how I approached the entire summer. I put everything I had into being as physically prepared as possible."
Vonn’s sights are firmly set on the February 6-22 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, where she aims to compete in the downhill, super-G, and the new team combined race.
Reflecting on her current state, she remarked, "For my age, I feel pretty damn good. I probably feel better now than I did before I tore my first ACL in 2013. So that was quite a long time ago."
Her illustrious career boasts World Cup records for both men and women with 43 downhill wins and 28 super-G victories.
Her total of 82 World Cup victories places her third all-time, behind American teammate Mikaela Shiffrin (104) and Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark (86).
In Wednesday’s opening training session on the St. Moritz course, Vonn demonstrated her formidable form, finishing 0.59 seconds ahead of Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie and 0.71 seconds clear of Italian standout Sofia Goggia.
Another training session is scheduled for Thursday, followed by the downhill races on Friday and Saturday, and a super-G on Sunday.
Adding to her preparations, former overall World Cup champion Aksel Lund Svindal has joined her coaching staff.
Svindal noted, "Lindsey was very convincing that this was a job that I could do better than most people." Vonn also revealed her meticulous approach to equipment, having tried "20 to 30 pairs" of new boots last season before reverting to a trusted old pair.
St. Moritz marks the first of five speed weekends Vonn is expected to contest before the Olympics.
These include events in Val d’Isere, France, on December 20-21; Zauchensee, Austria, on January 10-11; Tarvisio, Italy, on January 17-18; and Crans Montana, Switzerland, on January 30-31, as she builds towards her Olympic aspirations.
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