Lindsey Vonn Wins Bronze in Downhill
In what may have been her last realistic chance at winning another Olympic gold medal, American skier Lindsey Vonn took bronze with a run of 1:39.69 in the Downhill at Pyeongchang 2018. Italy's Sofia Goggia took the gold with a time of 1:39.22, while Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel became a surprise silver medalist with a time of 1:39.31.
Vonn, who has said this will be her last Olympic Downhill competition, becomes the oldest woman to win an Olympic medal in any of the five Alpine skiing disciplines.
She won this event at the 2010 Games in Vancouver but missed the 2014 race in Sochi with a knee injury. The bronze is her third Olympic medal overall—she won a bronze in the Super-G in 2010 to go along with the Downhill gold.
Goggia, who came into the race ranked first in the world Downhill and was considered Vonn's best competition, went fifth and seized the lead with a strong performance at the bottom of the steep course. She posted a time of 1:39.22.
Vonn went seventh and finished 0.47 seconds behind Goggia, which put her into second place. She skied a clean run without any major bobbles but took less aggressive lines than Goggia did.
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"I skied a great race today," Vonn said on the NBC broadcast after her run. "Sofia [Goggia] just skied better than I did."
Vonn's run kept her in second for 12 riders before Mowinckel went 19th and posted a time of 1:39.31 to wrestle second place from the American. Mowinckel's performance is a surprise, as her previous best finish in a Downhill race was sixth. When she crossed the finish line and saw her time, the Norweigan threw her hands up in triumph and appeared giddily surprised in her interview with NBC.
The Downhill was considered Vonn's best chance to win a gold medal at these Olympics—she won three World Cup events in the Downhill this season, the most of any woman. Earlier in Pyeongchang, she finished a disappointing sixth in the Super-G, and she will compete in the Super Combined, though she is not considered to be a gold medal threat in that event.
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After finishing her Downhill run, Vonn put her hands up and flashed a wide smile. She was later shown speaking into a walkie-talkie, ostensibly giving instructions to fellow American Alice McKennis, who had yet to complete her run. McKennis would go on to finish fifth.
In a later interview, Vonn broke down in tears when discussing how this was her last Olympic Downhill competition.
American Mikaela Shiffrin was originally scheduled to compete in the event but pulled out to focus on the Super Combined. Shiffrin, who entered the Olympics with hopes of medalling in all five Alpine skiing disciplines, won gold in the Giant Slalom but finished a disappointing fourth in the Slalom, which is considered her specialty.
