The 40-year-old's finish Sunday, March 23, in the women’s super G at the Sun Valley World Cup Finals also marks Vonn’s first podium finish since coming out of retirement.
Vonn’s best result prior to Sunday was a fourth-place finish in the super-G at St. Anton, Austria in January.
Vonn was one of just two American women in Sunday’s competition. After her teammate and fellow Parkite, Lauren Macuga, skied out and did not finish her run, Vonn said she knew everyone would be watching her.
“I knew I was the only American that would be coming to the finish line today and I wanted to make my country proud,” she said in a news release from the U.S. Ski Team. “I'm just getting started. I feel like this season was just a lot of testing and trying to figure things out and get back into the sport.”
Vonn came across the finish line 1.29 seconds behind Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami, who snagged the overall season title in super G.
Gut-Behrami’s sixth super G crystal globe victory broke a tie with Vonn, Germany’s Katja Seizinger, Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway and Hermann Maier of Austria who all have five previous super G overall wins.
Sunday’s super G was Vonn’s only race at the World Cup Finals after the downhill event was canceled Saturday due to high winds.
Tomorrow, Macuga, Utah skier Katie Hensien, Aj Hurt, Paula Moltzan and Nina O’Brien will go for gold in Sun Valley in the women’s giant slalom.
Olympian and slalom skier Mikaela Shiffrin will take to the hill on Thursday.
