Lindsey Vonn has revealed she is coming out of retirement. In an interview with The New York Times, Vonn stated she will rejoin the United States Ski Team and plans to race again at 40 years old.
Vonn hasn't competed in the Winter Olympics since the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.
"I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself because I have quite a few hoops to jump through," Vonn said. "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 been training for her return in recent months, and will be back with the U.S. Ski Team immediately.
Vonn thought about returning to the sport after having successful knee replacement surgery just seven months ago. She last competed professional in February 2019 at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Sweden. At that competition, she earned a bronze medal in the women's downhill event and became the oldest woman to win a medal at a world championship.
This came after Vonn suffered a brutal crash at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in which she tore ligaments in her knee and fractured her tibia. In a 2017 "60 Minutes" interview, Vonn revealed she suffered two ACL tears, an MCL tear, a meniscus injury, a broken wrist and broken fingers in recent years.
Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist with a downhill gold and a super-G bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic. She also landed a bronze medal in the downhill event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Her 82 World Cup race wins were a record for a woman until fellow American skier Mikaela Shiffrin beat that mark in January 2023.
The next Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place in Italy in February 2026. It's unclear if Vonn is gearing up for a return to the Olympic stage.
