Lindsey Vonn had a much better start to her ski season than boyfriend Tiger Woods.
While Woods shot a 5-over par 77 in his return to golf this week and entered the final day of his hosted Hero World Challenge in last place, Vonn was triumphant on the slopes Saturday, winning the World Cup downhill race at Lake Louise in Alberta, her first win in nearly two years.
It was quite a day for Vonn, and a good one as well for two American skiers with ties to Lake Tahoe. Stacey Cook, who was born in Truckee and learned to ski on the Tahoe slopes, placed second, and Squaw Valley’s Julie Mancuso was third.
That Cook and Mancuso shared the podium with Vonn made the afternoon all the more memorable. All three women are all about the same age and have been with each other through the wins and the wipeouts.
Vonn led American podium sweep, the first time that’s ever happened.
“It really couldn’t be a better day,” Vonn told reporters at the finish line.
Demonstrating confidence in the stability of her right knee again, the four-time overall champion aggressively navigated the course and finished in a time of 1 minute, 50.48 seconds to earn her 15th career win at Lake Louise.
“I’m so excited for Lindsey. A cool day,” said Cook, who skis out of Mammoth Mountain. “It really helps having Lindsey back, and her competitiveness and enthusiasm for the sport. It pushes us. That’s when we thrive is when we push each other.”
Vonn couldn’t ask for friendlier territory, returning to Alberta, Canada, and competition at Lake Louise this weekend, where she finished eighth at the season-opening women’s World Cup downhill Friday. Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill champion and four-time overall World Cup winner, has posted 15 of her 60 World Cup victories at the resort in the Canadian Rockies.
That string of victories includes seven straight wins from 2010 through 2012. Entering the competition, Vonn was hoping Lake Louise would be a launch pad for her comeback from devastating knee injuries that sidelined her for the previous 11 months and cost her a chance to defend her Olympic downhill title in Sochi earlier this year.
Vonn, 30, tore two ligaments in her right knee in a crash at the World Championships in Austria in 2013. Nine months later she returned to World Cup action, but she had already re-injured her knee in training and opted for surgery in January and missed the 2014 Winter Olympics.
“I definitely think that I shocked a few people,” Vonn said. “Yesterday, everyone was genuinely happy and thought it was a really great start to my season. I don’t think anyone expected me to win today. I could definitely see that on some of the girls’ faces. My teammates knew this was coming. They were extremely supportive and happy.”
