Press release -
Lindsey Vonn takes victory by a huge lead
What a sensational start to the season by Lindsey Vonn. The American athlete wins the first Downhill in St. Moritz on Friday almost a clear second ahead. This is the 83rd World Cup victory for Lindsey Vonn, and her first in almost eight years. Following her 41-year-old HEAD team colleague in second place, Magdalena Egger celebrates her first podium in the World Cup.
"Lindsey Vonn's run was awesome, especially on the section that is so smooth to ski. That was the Aksel effect in action. Proof for me that she has grown even stronger since Aksel Lund Svindal joined the team. I am also very pleased with Magdalena Egger's performance," said HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "Lindsey Vonn can achieve anything she wants to now! She is back up on the same level that she was, winning races. The snow and weather conditions were perfect for everyone today, and she went out and took the victory. As long as she remains fit, everything is possible for her."
"I was surprised at the huge lead"
In the first women's speed event of the season, Lindsey Vonn finished 98 hundredths of a second ahead of Magdalena Egger. This is Lindsey Vonn's 83rd World Cup victory, her 44th in the Downhill and her second in a Downhill in St. Moritz. Previously, her last victory in the World Cup was on the 14th of March 2018, when the American athlete stood on top of the podium in the Downhill in Aare.
“I was surprised to see such a huge lead as I crossed the finish line. I thought I had made a couple of mistakes. Over the jump I flew a long way. I wasn't sure before the race that I was 100 percent on form, but it was enough! I need the feeling that my body does what I want it to do, and that the skis help me do that. So many people have said that I won't manage. But as a team we have a superb rhythm and have continued to build on it," said Lindsey Vonn at the finish.
First World Cup podium for Magdalena Egger
Magdalena Egger also had reason to celebrate. This is only her seventh World Cup Downhill event, and the 24-year-old Austrian athlete has already bagged her first podium finish in second place. Previously, her best result in the World Cup was an eighteenth place in the Downhill in Kvitfjell in March 2025. "I am speechless. I really enjoyed skiing this run. I skied the course way I planned to ski it. It's great that I can trust in my skiing and the equipment and that it has worked out so well," said Magdalena Egger. A total of six HEAD Worldcup Rebels landed in the top ten with Emma Aicher from Germany in fifth place, Cornelia Hütter from Austria in sixth place, Laura Pirovano from Italy ninth, and Nina Ortlieb from Austria tenth. World Cup points were also notched up by Ariane Rädler from Austria in eleventh place, Kajsa Vickhoff Lie from Norway in 19th place, Lena Wechner from Austria with bib number 40 in 20th place, Keely Cashman from the USA with bib number 45 who finished 24th, Cande Moreno from Andorra who started with bib number 51 and finished 26th, and Allison Mollin from the USA with bib number 53 in 27th place.
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