Lindsey Vonn returned to World Cup skiing after a six-year retirement and recorded a 14th-place finish in a super-G on Saturday in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Vonn, 40, displayed a cautious approach and sailed across the line 1.18 seconds behind Austrian winner Cornelia Huetter.

Vonn, however, was pleased with her performance, as she routinely flashed a wide smile and waved to the crowd.

“It feels so good to have the nerves and to have the butterflies and to have the adrenaline and to push yourself,” Vonn told Eurosport. “I always feel like it’s just me against the mountain, and I love that feeling. Ski racing, there’s no limit to what you can push yourself to. So I think this is a perfect start, and I’ll look forward to trying to improve every race.”

Saturday’s race was a starting point in the eyes of Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill gold medalist and four-time World Cup overall champion.

“There’s definitely a lot that I have left to give,” Vonn said. “I really wanted to get to the finish today and be solid. I didn’t want to risk too much. Today was not the day to try to do anything special.

“I think the course was a little bit bumpy when I went, and so some sections I was a little bit more conservative with my line. But in some sections, I was really fast. … So I’m really close to being there. I’m just not quite there yet.”

Vonn retired in February 2019 after a career in which she won 82 World Cup races, seven world championship medals, 20 World Cup titles and three Olympic medals (one gold).

Vonn earned a chance to compete in World Cup races earlier this month at an event in Copper Mountain, Colo., where she participated in four races. Her best finish was 19th.

–Field Level Media