Wintersports
Alpine Skiing
Lindsey Vonn Breaks All-Time World Cup Wins Record
Vonn claims record-breaking 63rd World Cup win with a super-G victory at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Lindsey Vonn celebrating in Cortina d'Ampezzo
© Red Bull Content Pool/Samo Vidic
Lindsey Vonn has broken the longstanding record of women’s World Cup career wins by scoring her 63rd victory in Monday’s super-G in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The American skier had tied the all-time record on the same slope Sunday when she won the downhill.
Skiing dominantly from the get-go, Vonn led at all intermediate timing points and went on to win by 0.85 seconds over Austrian Anna Fenninger.
"It is incredible," Vonn said afterward. "I cannot believe it! It’s been the perfect comeback for me. It simply could not have been any better. It’s like a dream. I gave everything — and got everything back!"
Vonn's boyfriend Tiger Woods surprised her by traveling to watch her record race, arriving at Cortina last night, and was the first to congratulate Vonn after her victory was secure.
"This is a historical record," Vonn said. "The old record held for 35 years, that’s a long time!"
It’s been an excruciating climb back up for Vonn, but her resolve and commitment paid off. Surpassing the record set by Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Pröll in 1980 was one of her primary goals on her long comeback, which was two years in the making.
The number of career victories is the record that matters most in alpine skiing. It is a sign of excellence over an entire career, a sign of fortitude in a high-speed, high-risk sport. With this new milestone, Vonn reaches a major summit of her sport, one where she is likely to remain unchallenged for the foreseeable future. Her closest challenger among the active competitors is Slovenia’s Tina Maze, who sits at 26. The men’s equivalent record, owned by Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark, is 86.
Vonn is already a four-time overall World Cup champion, six-time downhill champion, Olympic gold medallist and one of just six women to win World Cup races in all five disciplines. With this new record, she writes history as one of the greatest skiers of all time. After this weekend, she is also one step closer to other triumphs, such as an unprecedented seventh downhill season title.
Aptly, Vonn set the new record in Italy, on the same slope where she collected her first career podium in Jan. 2004. Of her 63 career World Cup victories, 32 have been in downhill, 21 in super-G, five in the combined, three in giant slalom and two in slalom.
What’s more, only three weeks now remain until the Alpine World Ski Championships on Vonn’s home snow in Vail-Beaver Creek, in Colorado, her next major goal this season.
To get an inside look at Vonn’s two-year recovery and very personal conversations and moments never seen before, be sure to watch "Lindsey Vonn: The Climb," the one-hour film chronicling her remarkable comeback, airing Jan. 25 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Worldwide availability will be on Red Bull TV starting Jan. 28.
