Lindsey Vonn in Kitzbuehel, Austria on January 17, 2023. She has announced her return to the U.S. Ski Team. Photos: Red Bull Content Pool
Six years after her last Olympics, Lindsey Vonn has announced that she’s coming out of retirement.
Vonn, who is 40 years old, made the announcement on Thursday. She’s rejoining the U.S. Ski Team effective immediately, but as of this writing, she hasn’t decided which events she’ll be entering.
Vonn has had a storied career, with 82 World Cup victories, three Olympic medals — including a gold and two bronze — four World Cup overall wins, and eight world championship medals.
Vonn’s 82 World Cup race victories was a record on the women’s side until 2023, when Mikaela Shiffrin took the torch. Vonn last competed in 2019, but it was marred by a stretch of injuries that took their toll. In April of 2024, she had part of her knee replaced, but, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, now that she’s recovered she’s back in the saddle and has been training hard.
“Getting back to skiing without pain has been an incredible journey,” Vonn said, adding that she wants to “continue to share (her) knowledge of the sport with these incredible women” who she’ll join on the U.S. team.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard leadership couldn’t be happier to have Vonn back. President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt told reporters that Vonn’s “dedication and passion towards Alpine skiing is inspiring, and we’re excited to have her back on snow and see where she can go from here.”
