Lindsey Vonn Is Doing the (Previously) Unthinkable.

A Triumphant Return: Lindsey Vonn’s Comeback Story

You could definitely call it a comeback. Six years after stepping away as the most decorated female downhill skier in history with 82 World Cup wins, three Olympic medals (including a gold), and eight World Championship medals (two golds) Lindsey Vonn has reentered the adrenaline-fueled world of elite skiing. At 40, she’s more than a decade older than many of her competitors, some by nearly twenty years. But with a newly repaired knee and a refreshed mindset, Vonn is optimistic. “I’m stronger now than I was at the end of my career,” she says from Europe via Zoom in late February. “I can lift more, jump higher it’s a whole new level.”

Vonn’s body had long been sending signals that it needed a break, even before her last race in 2019. By that time, some members of her team had been gently urging her to retire for years. After a brutal crash in late 2018—her third in less than a year—that resulted in several fractures and a torn LCL, she finally gave in. “I was emotionally drained,” she says.

Retirement wasn’t easy. “Letting go of something I loved so deeply was painful,” Vonn recalls. She leaned into therapy and self-discovery. She even wrote a memoir—only to scrap it and start again. “My first version came from a dark place,” she explains. The final version, Rise: My Story, came out in 2022. Despite continuing to explore her identity beyond skiing, Vonn eventually found peace, building a life split between Utah and Miami. She turned to water sports, which didn’t aggravate her injured knee and helped her feel like herself again.

But even as her mind adjusted, her body still limited her. “I couldn’t even keep up with a seven-year-old on a walk,” she laughs. For someone who spent a lifetime hurtling down mountains at 80 mph, it was a stark contrast. “Living in pain every day just isn’t sustainable.”

After over two years of research and consultations, she underwent a partial knee replacement in April 2024. The surgery was a success. As her strength returned, so did her curiosity could she compete again? By November, she announced her return to ski racing.

If you’re wondering whether Vonn was afraid to put her knee at risk again, you might not fully understand her spirit. “I need adventure in my life,” she says. “Skiing isn’t even the most dangerous thing I do.” Her comeback season has been nothing short of electrifying she was consistently among the top American finishers after debuting in December, and in March, she earned silver in a World Cup race, becoming the oldest woman ever to podium in the event.

Still, returning to the rigorous schedule has its drawbacks. After enjoying the freedom of her own timeline, it’s been tough to go back to the structured demands of elite competition. “Sometimes I want to support family or friends, but I can’t,” she admits. “There’s no easy way to balance it.”

She’s also stirred up controversy. In February, she posted (and later deleted) a comment suggesting she wasn’t surprised that U.S. teammate Mikaela Shiffrin opted out of a combined event instead of partnering with her. The two have had a rocky relationship, and Vonn regrets the comment. “I’m passionate and emotional,” she says. “I make mistakes. I never mean to hurt anyone, but I’m far from perfect.”

Vonn’s journey in skiing started before she could even recall on skis by age three, racing by seven. Her entire family relocated to Colorado to support her dream. She always felt the pressure to make their sacrifices worth it.

Now, her approach is different. Living in Miami, far from the snow, helped shift her mindset. “This isn’t just a new chapter it feels like a whole new book,” she says. “There’s no pressure, no expectations.”

That said, she does have one major goal: the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Her one real regret from retiring was missing the chance to compete on those Italian slopes again. “That’s my home hill,” she says. “Walking away from that dream hurt the most.”

After that, she plans to retire for good and focus once again on her personal evolution. “Skiing has given me everything, but it’s also taken so much from me,” Vonn reflects. “It’s my first love. I don’t want to be married to it I just want it in my life in a way that brings me joy.”

And really, what better way to close the loop on an extraordinary comeback?