Vonn feared crashing out of final race

Lindsey Vonn conceded she feared crashing out of her final race before retirement.

Vonn, 34, briefly led as she brought the curtain down on her career with a bronze medal in the ladies' downhill at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships on Sunday, Ilka Stuhec defending her title in Are.

That third-place finish followed a big crash in the super-G earlier in the week, with Vonn now ending her career due to an accumulation of injuries.

And the American, who boasts a record 82 World Cup wins, revealed her swansong was also the race for which she has been most apprehensive.

"It was so fun, I was literally the most nervous I've ever been in my entire life," Vonn told Eurosport.

"I wanted to come down and be in the lead for one last time and to hear the crowd roar and to not crash.

"I'm always full tilt and always on the limit. I was worried that I'd charge too hard and not make it down for my last race - that's my worst nightmare."

Vonn became the oldest woman to win a World Championships medal and is also the first female athlete to earn a place on the podium at six editions of the competition.