Skier Lindsey Vonn is ending her retirement and rejoining the U.S. Ski Team, she said Thursday, five years after she announced the end of her career and six years after earning her third Olympic medal.
Vonn, 40, told The New York Times she originally didn’t plan to return to ski racing after multiple injuries and surgeries, but following right-knee replacement surgery in the spring, she resumed skiing without pain. Now she has her sights set on upcoming World Cup races and is keeping the door open for a potential Olympic return at the 2026 Games.
“I’m not going to put myself in a position to fail,” Vonn told The Times. “My goal is to enjoy this, and hopefully that road takes me to World Cup races. I wouldn’t be back on the U.S. ski team if I didn’t have intentions.”
Well, it’s off to Colorado…. I hope the @usskiteam uniform still fits… 😉 #onedayatatime
— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) November 14, 2024
Vonn earned her three Olympic medals in two different Games. In the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Vonn won gold in the downhill competition and bronze in the Super-G. Eight years later, Vonn captured a bronze in the downhill at the Pyeongchang Games. She’s also an eight-time medalist in world championships.
An Olympic return in 2026 in northern Italy would mark Vonn’s fifth Games. She’s won 12 World Cup races at Cortina d’Ampezzo, where the next Olympics will take place. Vonn acknowledged the success she’s had in Cortina, telling The Times: “I’ve always enjoyed racing in Cortina and I’ve had a lot of success in Cortina.”
“I don’t know what the next few months and the next year and a half hold for me. So I can’t say right now if it’s a possibility,” she said about a possible Olympic appearance. “But I think everyone knows how much I love Cortina.”
Vonn previously held the record for the most women’s World Cup race wins with 82, but Mikaela Shiffrin surpassed her record in January 2023 and is now up to 97 victories.
(Photo: David Goldman / Getty Images)
