Lindsay Vonn Proves ‘Everyone Wrong,’ Finishes Second in World Cup Super-G

The 2025 FIS World Cup Women’s super-G races finished March 23 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami, 33, finished in first place. But her win was almost overshadowed by Lindsay Vonn’s triumphant return to the racecourse after a 5-year hiatus. Vonn, 40, took second place in the women’s super-G event, finishing 1.29 seconds behind Gut-Behrami and making the podium for the 138th time in her career.

The Colorado ski racer came out of retirement this year to compete in the downhill and super-G FIS World Cup races, with her eyes set on the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games. If she competes at the Winter Games in 2026, it will be her fifth Olympics, after which she told NBC Sports she plans to retire for good.

Vonn faced many doubts when she announced her return to the racing circuit this year. But with this second-place finish, she smashed the record for the oldest women’s World Cup podium finisher. In interviews following the race, she seemed pleased to have put those doubts to rest.

“It’s been a rough season of people saying that I can’t, that I’m too old, that I’m not good enough anymore,” she told NBC Sports in an interview. “I think I proved everyone wrong.”

Prior to Sunday’s Sun Valley ski race, Vonn’s previous best finishes this season were sixth in a downhill event on Jan. 11 and fourth in a super-G on Jan. 12. She is not slated to compete in any other World Cup races this season.

Lindsay Vonn: Career Not Over Yet

Vonn has been competing professionally since 2000, when she made her FIS World Cup debut in Park City, Utah. Just 2 years later, in 2002, she competed in the Salt Lake City Olympic Games. She then went on to the 2006 Turin Games, the 2010 Vancouver Games (where she won a gold medal in the women’s downhill event), and the 2018 Pyeongchang Games (where she won a bronze medal in women’s downhill).

She has made it clear that her goal in coming out of retirement is to compete on the U.S. Olympic Ski team one more time. While the 2026 team won’t be named until next winter, Vonn seemed confident that her World Cup performance this season has paved her way.

“Today meant everything to me,” Vonn told NBC Sports of her second-place finish in Idaho. “This is the road now to Cortina next year.”

A nation can qualify up to four skiers per race event for the Olympic Games — that includes downhill, super-G, slalom, giant slalom, and combined. Currently, Vonn is the third-ranked American in the downhill event and second in the super-G. 

More World Cup Races, Events This Week

While Vonn is finished racing in the 2024/25 World Cup, several more events are scheduled for the Sun Valley, Idaho, finale. Tuesday will feature the women’s giant slalom races, and Wednesday will feature the men’s. On Thursday, March 27, the races will finish for the season with the final women’s and men’s slalom runs.

Following the final runs, the Final Globe Ceremony will be held at the racecourse finish area at 1:30 p.m. GST.

If you want to watch the final races of the season, they will air for free on all Outside TV platforms. Both live and delayed coverage will also be available on NBC, CNBC, and USA Network. Check out the full broadcast schedule on Sun Valley’s World Cup website.

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