Vonn, McKennis sit 1st and 3rd after first downhill training runs, Shiffrin 23rd

A pair of Colorado skiers put together two of the top three runs in the first round of training in the ladies’ downhill at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

After failing to medal in the Super G, Lindsey Vonn set the pace with a time of 1:41.03. Vonn was slow out of the starting gates and was on pace for a finish in the 20s through the first two checkpoints before carving up the middle and final third of the course.Between splits two and three, Vonn jumped from 21st to 8th. By the fourth checkpoint she had climbed into the lead and would not relinquish it through the finish line.

Vonn is seeking her second medal in the downhill. She earned gold in Vancouver in 2010, while taking bronze in the super G at those same games. The Vail resident missed the 2014 games with injury. This is her fourth Olympic appearance overall, having made her debut in Salt Lake City (2002).

Fellow Coloradan Alice McKennis was just over a half-second behind at 1:41.56 in third position. McKennis was more consistent top to bottom in her run, coming out of the gates in fifth position. She climbed as high as No. 1 with her split time at the third check, but lost her line and dropped into sixth by the next check. The Glenwood Springs native recovered over the second half of the course to finish third in the first training run.

McKennis is seeking redemption from a disqualification in the downhill at the 2010 Games and missing the 2014 games with injury. She finished 16th in the super G in PyeongChang, her first completed Olympic event.

2018 giant slalom gold medalist and World Cup overall leader Mikaela Shiffrin ranked 23rd after the first training run with a time of 1:43.01, nearly two seconds off the pace. Shiffrin, a slalom specialist, finished just off the podium in her top discipline after winning GS gold one day prior. She did not compete in the super G event.

Ladies downhill training runs continue Monday and Tuesday. Medal runs are scheduled for Wednesday in PyeongChang, which will be broadcast Tuesday night in the U.S.