ST. ANTON, Austria — Renowned skier Lindsey Vonn achieved the 10th fastest time during a training run on Thursday, marking her first World Cup downhill race in six years.

After making her comeback to the World Cup circuit just three weeks ago with a titanium knee at the age of 40 in a super-G event, Vonn completed the challenging two-kilometer Karl Schranz course with a time that placed her 2.55 seconds behind Italy’s Federica Brignone.

During the training run, the American athlete reached speeds close to 109 kph (68 mph) in high-speed sections of the hill, a venue where she had previously celebrated victory in December 2007.

A follow-up practice session is scheduled for Friday in preparation for the race taking place on Saturday.

Lindsey Vonn holds the remarkable record of winning 43 World Cup downhill races, an achievement that stands as the highest for both male and female competitors. This victory contributes to her total of 82 career wins, positioning her third on the all-time leaderboard. Mikaela Shiffrin currently has 99 wins, while Ingemar Stenmark had 86 victories during his career in the 1970s and 1980s.

Vonn, who announced her retirement in February 2019 following the world championships held in Sweden, has made a surprising return as she gears up for a series of downhill events in her preferred discipline.

In her last outing, she finished 14th during a cautious super-G race on December 21 at St. Moritz, Switzerland, although the second scheduled race was unfortunately canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions.

The upcoming super-G event at St. Anton is set for Sunday.

Looking ahead, Vonn is also expected to participate in the races next week at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy — which will be the women’s course for the 2026 Olympics, a place where she has previously triumphed with six downhills and six super-Gs. Her goal is to qualify for the world championships slated for next month in Saalbach, Austria.