PARK CITY, Utah — Lindsey Vonn has come out of retirement to rejoin the U.S. Ski Team and announced Thursday that she intends to race again at age 40, six years after her last Olympics.
“Now off to Colorado… I hope the (U.S.) uniform still fits,” Vonn captioned an Instagram video of her standing at the starting gate.
Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist, including gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G at the 2010 Vancouver Games and bronze in the downhill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
She is a four-time overall World Cup champion and has eight World Championship medals.
Her 82 wins in World Cup races stood as a record for women until that total was broken by American Mikaela Shiffrin in January 2023. Shiffrin is still active and currently has 97 wins, more than any other alpine ski racer in the history of the sport. .
“It's a big deal,” Shiffrin said before surpassing Vonn's total. “I don't know if I'll be able to wear Lindsey's shoes the way she has.”
Vonn's last fight was in February 2019, after being plagued by multiple injuries throughout her career.
He suffered broken arms and legs, torn knee ligaments, and a concussion.
In April of this year, many years after leaving the World Cup circuit, she underwent partial knee replacement surgery.
US Ski & Snowboard magazine announced Thursday that Vonn has been training for the past few months.
“It's been an incredible journey back to skiing pain-free,” Vonn said, adding that she hopes to “continue to share my knowledge of the sport with the amazing women” on the U.S. national team.
Vonn quickly rejoined the team, but it is still unclear which races he will aim to compete in. The first downhill (her specialty) of the current World Cup season will be held in Beaver Creek, Colorado, in December.
Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of US Ski & Snowboard, said Vonn's “dedication and passion for alpine skiing is inspiring, and we are thrilled to have her back on the snow.” I'm excited to see where she can go from here.”
The next Winter Olympics will be held in Italy in February 2026, and although it is not clear whether Vonn plans to participate, the women's alpine ski competition will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, on the course where she has won a record 12 times. I plan to
Vonn could benefit from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation's new wildcard rules. This rule allows former champions to earn decent starting numbers in races upon their return from retirement without regaining ranking points in lower-level races.
Overall World Cup winner Marcel Hirscher, who has won eight times, took advantage of the new rules and recently returned for the first time in five years.
