VAL D'ISERE, France -- Anna Veith felt overwhelming relief after proving she can fight her way back to the top while Lindsey Vonn took a step back with her focus remaining on the Winter Olympics.
Veith won a World Cup super-G race Sunday, long after last tasting victory in giant slalom at the French resort of Meribel in March 2015.
The Olympic super-G champion's comeback has been as much mental as physical.
Veith has been battling back from March surgery to repair the patellar tendon in her left knee. The procedure came after her December 2016 return from more than one year out following a training crash that heavily damaged her right knee.
"When I think back to the days when I was just on the floor, so many days when I didn't know if it was possible to get back into race mode or not," the 28-year-old Austrian said. "You have to be mentally very strong. When you're injured, it's hard to stay in that mode, and for me it was important to get back in that race mode, mentally. I know I have it now."
It was Veith's 15th World Cup race win, yet it felt much like a breakthrough for a stylish and graceful skier who was once so dominant.
Veith has three world championship golds. She clinched overall World Cup titles in 2014 and 2015, before injury and self-doubt followed.
"My dream was to get back onto the top and I reached that today, so it was perfect," she said. "The most important is that I have it mentally again. I know that everything's possible now, and it's a really good feeling."
Good timing, too, with the Olympics coming up.
Veith has her sights set on the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea from Feb. 9-25. She will be defending her super-G title and will look to improve on her silver in giant slalom from the 2014 Games.
"The most important thing is that I get into the prefect shape in February," she said.
After Sunday's race was briefly delayed because of fresh snowfall, Veith clocked 1 minute, 5.77 seconds on the Oreiller-Killy course.
Tina Weirather of Lichtenstein was second in 1:06.25 -- her 35th World Cup podium -- with Italian Sofia Goggia third in 1:06.28.
"I'm very happy to share a podium with [Veith]," Goggia said. "It's really nice to see her back."
Vonn, 33, decided against racing as a precautionary measure after the morning's inspection. She did not specify which knee was hurting, but she has injured both before. Last weekend, she jarred her back in a super-G race at St. Moritz in Switzerland.
Vonn secured her first win of the season and record-extending 78th in Saturday's super-G on the same Oreiller-Killy course.
She is flying home and will miss Tuesday's giant slalom in nearby Courchevel. Her focus is on the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea from Feb. 9-25. She won gold in downhill and bronze in super-G at the 2010 Games.
Unfortunately I'm not racing today. Knee is a bit sore from yesterday so to be on the safe side I'm going to give my body some rest. My focus is on the Olympics so no need to risk anything now. Still going home very happy after my win yesterday :)
— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) December 17, 2017
Remarkably, Weirather raced despite fearing she has broken her left hand.
"Yesterday, when I crashed, I went with my hand in the snow and it hurt my hand and my shoulder," she said. "I haven't been to the doctor yet. I'm not sure what it is right now, but for sure not very good because it's black and blue."
She also knows a thing or two about courage.
"I could have just have thought, 'I can't do it,' and given up, but I really wanted to do well today," Weirather said. "In the warm-up, it hurt really badly. I thought that with the adrenaline I'd forget about it."
One race is enough, though, and she won't be taking part in Tuesday's giant slalom.
"I can't, because I can't hold my pole and I have to get an X-ray on my hand," she said. "I'm not sure if it's broken or not."
Goggia, second in Saturday's super-G behind Vonn, now has 15 World Cup podiums but only two wins. She knows what she must do to improve her conversion rate.
"Do most of the turning in the correct way. Sometimes I make mistakes in my performance," Goggia said. "I have to put that off and just ski right and I think it will come."