SKIING icon Lindsey Vonn narrowly missed out on a record eighth win in Val d’Isere – and she could have walked away with a BABY COW and a massive wheel of cheese.
The bizarre prizes went to Austria’s Cornelia Hutter, who crossed the finish line after 1:41.54.
Vonn, 41, skied out of the blue racing lane, costing her valuable time and leaving her 0.35 seconds adrift in third place.
But it did allow the legendary American to stand on the podium for the 141st time in her World Cup career.
Hutter, who finished 0.26 seconds clear of runner-up Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, bagged her tenth triumph after a faultless display.
And she was sensationally gifted a baby cow and a huge wheel of cheese in the French Alps.
Hutter, 33, said: “At the beginning of the speed season, I struggled a little with my mindset, my focus and everything.
“But today, all of a sudden, I thought about going full speed, getting into position, finding the outside ski and pushing it.
“That’s what I did and, for sure, seeing the green lights is always amazing. Leading until the end is even better.
“A long time ago, it was my first podium here in Val d’Isere when I was a little younger – I think it was 12 years ago.
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“So it’s nice to ski a few years later, find the speed and, most importantly, have fun.”
Sofia Goggia, who went into the race as the favourite, was ahead of Vonn and her rivals at the halfway point before a mistake in the lower section of the course led to her dropping to eighth.
Vonn, who has opened up on her incredible body transformation, extended her lead to 240 points in the discipline rankings.
She is gearing up for her fifth Winter Olympics next year, where she is set to represent the United States in women’s alpine skiing.
After initially retiring from the sport in 2019, Vonn announced her shock comeback in 2024.
