Skiing great Vonn makes competitive return in Colorado

Vonn retired as the most decorated woman in alpine skiing in 2019 but has since been overhauled by compatriot Mikaela Shiffrin

Three-time Olympic skiing medallist Lindsey Vonn made her competitive return after almost six years on Saturday in Copper Mountain, Colorado.

Vonn, 40, finished 24th out of 45 skiers in her first of two downhill races at the FIS Fall Festival, and 27th in her second.

The American retired in February 2019 but announced she would come back to the sport last month having had successful knee surgery in April.

"Today was a solid start and I had a blast being in start with my team-mates 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 finished 1.44 seconds slower than winner Mirjam Puchner of Austria in the first race and 1.53secs behind Puchner's compatriot Cornelia Huetter in the second.

She made her World Cup debut aged 16 in 2000 and went on to win 20 World Cup titles - including four overall Crystal Globes - and eight World Championship medals, with 137 World Cup podiums and 82 World Cup victories.

Vonn won Olympic downhill gold at the Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010, where she also took bronze in the Super-G. She claimed another downhill bronze in Pyeongchang in 2018.