Lindsey Vonn has expressed renewed confidence as she prepares for another Olympic season, speaking in an interview on the TODAY show Monday.
โIt feels like it wasnโt that long ago we were discussing my retirement, and now here we are again,โ she said.
After undergoing partial right knee replacement surgery, Vonn made a remarkable return last year from a five-year retirement. She ended the season by setting a record as the oldest woman ever to reach an Alpine Skiing World Cup podium.
Her comeback, however, has been driven by one goal competing in a fifth Olympics, set in Cortina dโAmpezzo, Italy, a venue she calls her โsecond home.โ Vonn holds a record 12 World Cup victories there and earned her first career podium at the same site back in 2004. โThat was the first time I felt like I truly belonged on the World Cup,โ she reflected.
โI know the mountain inside out,โ Vonn added. โIt gives me a sense of calm and peace.โ
She plans to begin her 2025โ26 World Cup season in St. Moritz, Switzerland, from December 12โ14, aiming to secure one of four U.S. spots for the downhill and super-G events at the Games. Her podium finish at last Marchโs World Cup Finals strengthened her bid to become the oldest American skier ever to compete at the Olympics.
โMy age actually helps,โ she explained. โIโve raced on that Olympic track more times than anyone else in the field. I might not be as quick as the younger skiers, but Iโm in great shape honestly, maybe the best Iโve ever been.โ
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