Federica Brignone is off to a strong start to the Ski World Cup season!

Federica Brignone is off to a strong start to the Ski World Cup season!

In the exciting opening training for the first World Cup downhill run of the ski season in Beaver Creek, Colorado, the Italian Federica Brignone outshone the competition with an impressive best time. Brignone was 0.39 seconds faster than second-placed Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami. The fastest Austrian, Mirjam Puchner, came in a solid sixth place, 1.16 seconds behind. The downhill World Cup defending champion Cornelia Hütter also performed respectably and came in eleventh place. Sofia Goggia celebrated a promising comeback after her eight-month injury break and thus put herself in position for the upcoming competitions.

Lindsey Vonn on course for a comeback

Former ski queen Lindsey Vonn appeared as a forerunner and thus prepared for her desired return to action this weekend. Vonn had recently competed in a series of FIS races at Copper Mountain to earn the points necessary for a return to the World Cup. "I have officially qualified for the World Cup! The races this weekend were a lot of fun," Vonn enthusiastically shared on Instagram. After a partial replacement of her damaged knee last April, the 40-year-old feels fit again and is putting herself in an optimal starting position by testing the downhill and super-G courses before the official races ABC News reported.

The weekend promises to be exciting with a descent on the challenging Birds of Prey course on Saturday, followed by a Super-G race on Sunday. Lindsey Vonn will also be a forerunner on the remaining training days to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Meanwhile, the current record of Mikaela Shiffrin, who recently surpassed Vonn's women's record with 99 World Cup victories, will also resonate in the fans' minds. Shiffrin herself will not be able to take part in the Beaver Creek races due to an injury, which makes the situation all the more exciting for the competition.