FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Olympic Village Torch Relay - Olympic Village, Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Former US skier Lindsey Vonn during the Olympic Village Torch Relay David Goldman/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
(Reuters) - Olympic gold medallist Lindsey Vonn returned to competition for the first time in almost six years on Saturday, as the 40-year-old American finished in the middle of the pack in her opening race in Copper Mountain, Colorado.
The four-times overall World Cup champion retired in 2019 and underwent partial knee replacement surgery in April, returning to training in recent months and announcing her comeback in November.
Vonn finished 24th out of 45 skiers in her first of two downhill races in 1:07.23, 1.44 seconds slower than winner Mirjam Puchner of Austria at the lower-level FIS Fall Festival.
"Today was a solid start and I had a blast being in start with my teammates again," Vonn wrote on social media.
"While I'm sure people will speculate and say I'm not in top form because of the results, I disagree. This was training for me.
"I'm still testing equipment and getting back in the groove. This is only the beginning and the way I'm skiing is more important than the times at this point."
Vonn had retired as the most decorated woman in alpine skiing with 82 World Cup wins, a record that was overtaken as her compatriot Mikaela Shiffrin amassed 99 wins and counting.
(This story has been refiled to say 'races,' not 'runs,' in paragraphs 1 and 3)
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
