Simran Joshi
Lindsey Vonn, the legendary Olympic gold medalist and former world champion, has made an unexpected and remarkable return to skiing nearly six years after announcing her retirement.
At 40, Vonn stunned the sports world with news of her comeback, following knee replacement surgery just seven months ago.
In an exclusive interview with The New York Times, Vonn shared how she was able to ski again without pain, something she never imagined possible, and revealed her plans to rejoin the U.S. ski team, aiming for a potential return to competition on the World Cup circuit and perhaps even the 2026 Winter Olympics.
A Shocking Return to the Slopes
All stunned, shocked, and confused, Lindsey Vonn is making an unexpected comeback in skiing. Almost six years after her retirement, the 40-year-old Olympic gold medalist said her career ended with “no intention of coming back.” However, after the knee replacement surgery she had seven months ago, she was able to ski again and to her amazement, “free from pain.” Recalling the moment, Vonn said “I had a smile so wide it was coming through the back of my helmet”.
Vonn, who is awaiting a new chapter in her life, is rejoining the United States ski team on November 15 and said, “It’s amazing and definitely not planned”. She feels quite optimistic about her future, hopes the World Cup circuit provides some quality competition, and very much looks forward to the 2026 Winter Olympics, yet is tempered, saying, “I’m trying not to get too far ahead of myself because I have quite a few hoops to jump through”.
Determined to Compete Again
After making public statements about her early retirement in 2019, Vonn had been open with all the world about her battles with injuries. At the time she said: “The sad truth is my head and body didn’t agree.” She had undergone many surgeries, explaining: “Over the last several years I have accumulated more injuries and surgeries than I like to think about.” And yet, by Vonn’s own admission, she suffered no remorse, saying that skiing to its limits involved equal measures of “fantastic achievement” and “near spectacular crashes.”
Now, she is eager to return to the competitive ski. Her ambitions, speaking enthusiastically: “Obviously, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t hope to be racing. I have aspirations. I love to go fast. How fast can I go? I don’t know.” Vonn has already completed 15 days on snow in Europe and New Zealand, training with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team to prepare for her comeback.
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