On Friday in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Parkite skiing legend Lindsey Vonn crushed the downhill World Cup field for her 83rd victory at that level. Vonn became the oldest World Cup winner by four years. She sits just three World Cup wins behind longtime wins-record-holder Ingemar Stenmark, who wo n 86 races.  Vonn joked postrace that her next task on the slopes will be to catch Stenmark, who she said told her a while back that she was going to eclipse his record. Her main motivations for coming back from over five years in retirement were that her replaced right knee was finally painfree and she’d have a chance for further Olympic glory on the Cortina d’Ampezzo slopes she knows so well. Vonn has competed in 17 World Cups in Cortina d’Ampezzo, winning 21 races.  Chasing her dreams, Vonn added 12 pounds of muscle this offseason. She also finished tinkering with her equipment; she said she was trying different boots almost every day last season, eventually settling on her old model. Vonn added fellow skiing legend Aksel Lund Svindal to her coaching team. Lund Svindal won 36 World Cups and two gold medals in his time as an alpine skier, retiring after the 2019 World Championships when Vonn originally did. He and Vonn have been friends for years.  “(My) preparation was really good,” Vonn said about her offseason. “This summer, I spent most of the time in Park City, Utah.” Vonn said largely staying put in Park City enabled her to put in the hard yards in the gym, adding the muscle. She admitted she was much lighter than she would’ve liked last season. Vonn made offseason on-snow training trips out to New Zealand, Chile and Colorado, before hitting the slopes in St. Moritz. Her win on Friday was her sixth in St. Moritz, and she’s savoring every moment in her final World Cup there.  “I’m physically in possibly the best shape I’ve ever been in, which is fun,” Vonn added. “And, my body doesn’t hurt; I think that’s the best part of all.” Vonn said she feels better physically now than she did before tearing her first ACL in 2013. She’s pleased with how her offseason preparations went and how everything is gelling at the right time as she begins her final season. Vonn will race on Saturday in St. Moritz in a second downhill race and on Sunday in a super-G race. She said her super-G times have been the best of all in training.  “How it’s working? You should probably ask Lindsey,” Lund Svindal joked at a preseason press conference. “I think it’s fun. I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t enjoying it.” The Norwegian said he didn’t expect to be back on the slopes coaching this soon but that he couldn’t turn Lindsey down when she asked him to come aboard the team. He admitted he was more nervous than he expected to be on Friday, especially through the first few sectors of the race. Vonn joked that Lund Svindal seemed so cool and collected, which made her trust his simplified race strategy.  “Lindsey was very convincing that this is a job that I could do better than most people,” Lund Svindal added. “And, maybe, but I guess I got flattered and also thought it was a cool mission.” Lund Svindal said he was watching Lindsey’s comeback from afar last season. He immediately came prepared with tips for areas he thought she could improve in, which historically haven’t been many. Lund Svindall believes Vonn can be much more consistent with her skiing this season.  “A lot of people think that Lindsey is really fast on the flats and it’s easy, which is not correct,” Lund Svindal said. “She’s an amazing turner, so if we can make you as good as the rest of the field in gliding, you will pull away in the turns because that’s why you won all those races and the quality where you’re quite unique.” Vonn entered the season feeling confident, likely only bolstered by Friday’s win. The 41 year old will compete in four more World Cups after St. Moritz before calling her 20-year career quits for good after what would be her fifth Olympics.  “I’m trying to win races, so I’m going to push the limits,” Vonn said. “I wouldn’t even try this if it (the Olympics) wasn’t in Cortina. … Cortina is a very meaningful place to me; it’s where I got my first podium, broke the women’s World Cup win record, and I have a bunch of wins there. It feels like home.” The post Vonn details preparations, motivations for her final ski season appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less