Lindsey Vonn, one of America’s best skiers, has been out of commission for a while thanks to an injured knee. It even made sure she missed out on this year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi. After recovering, she’s back and better than ever.
ESPN reports that Vonn won her first race in nearly two years at a World Cup event in Alberta on Saturday. It’s also her second race since recovering from surgery. It seems that the injury didn’t slow her down as she made her winning run in 1 minute, 50 seconds.
While Vonn won Saturday’s race, her first race since the injury didn’t go as well. On Friday, she was holding back during her first race. According to Vonn, she just wasn’t being as aggressive. On Saturday, she went back to how she usually races:
“I tried to stay deeper in my tuck, tried to be more aggressive in some turns,” Vonn said. “I think it paid off.”
Check out what @lindseyvonn said about her huge win today. http://t.co/woj4ayuihx #LakeLouiseWC pic.twitter.com/av9UwFwyI2
— usskiteam (@usskiteam) December 6, 2014
As you might expect, Vonn’s teammates are also happy to have her back:
“I’m so excited for Lindsey. A cool day,” Stacey Cook said. “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.”
Cook took second place with Vonn’s other teammate – Julia Mancuso – taking third. In other words, Saturday’s race ended up with Americans taking all three places on the podium – a rare event.
The party goes on for the American team at @AlpineSkiWC with @lindseyvonn @JuliaMancuso & Stacey Cook. pic.twitter.com/zB6MhABgKK
— FIS Alpine (@fisalpine) December 6, 2014