“I have aspirations,” Lindsey Vonn CHALLENGES pro skiing world once again prior to 2026 Winter Olympics 

3x Olympian Lindsey Vonn comes out of retirement after five years just prior to the World Cup and Winter Olympic races.

“I have aspirations,” Lindsey Vonn CHALLENGES pro skiing world once again prior to 2026 Winter Olympics 

Lindsey Vonn [Image Credit: Imago]

Ski queen Lindsey Vonn is once again back in action! The 3x Olympian announced on Thursday that she’ll be coming out of her retirement and racing again at the age of 40.

Vonn announced her retirement in February 2019 after admitting her body can’t handle the scars anymore. She’ll join the U.S. ski team for the World Cup race after having successful knee replacement surgery. It’s been six years since her last Olympic race.

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The World Cup tournament will take place this winter followed by the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Olympics will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy which is one of the places Vonn loves.

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During her time as a skier, she won 12 World Cup races on the course in Cortina d’Ampezzo. However, despite all the fuss, Lindsey Vonn is set on taking one step at a time so as not to overdo like her past self. She hopes to enjoy this journey once again as carefully as she can and not let her broken body suffer anymore.

I’m trying not to get too far ahead of myself because I have quite a few hoops to jump through. 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.

Lindsey Vonn as per Bill Pennington of NY Times.com

Vonn said she decided to come back to professional skiing as she did not feel any pain following her knee surgery. She was surprised by how good she felt skiing after such a long time.

She’ll be participating in the U.S. ski team’s practice sessions in Colorado to prepare for the World Cup. Back in 2019, Vonn never expected to make a return to pro skiing again as she “accepted” that she could no longer continue racing due to pent-up injuries and surgeries she suffered.

“My body is screaming at me to STOP and it’s time for me to listen,” she said at that moment. Despite her broken body, Vonn proudly commented and reiterated stories of her career, noting how content she was of her accomplishments.

Lindsey Vonn “not trying to prove anything” with sudden unretirement announcement

Lindsey Vonn once noted how she was always trying something new after retirement to not feel empty. With the recent announcement of her comeback, she admitted she couldn’t help but have “a smile so wide” just at the thought of it.

Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn [Image Credit: NPR]

However, while Vonn will clearly try to win the races she participates in, she is no longer interested in going beyond. Considering all the surgeries and injuries she suffered in the past, Vonn wishes to only enjoy the process now.

I’m not chasing anything; I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone. With what I’ve done in my career, I’m thankful I can be in this position. I don’t have any pressure. It’s just me and the mountain like it was in the beginning.

Lindsey Vonn as per Bill Pennington of NY Times.com

The only regret Vonn had after her forced retirement was not being able to beat Ingemar Stenmark’s 86 World Cup wins record. However, that was surpassed by American skier Mikaela Shiffrin who is now the record holder of 97 World Cup wins.

Vonn is excited to once again join Shiffrin and the others on the U.S. team. She is excited to have Shiffrin as a teammate and get to compete with her once again on the icy slopes.