Seven months ago, Lindsey Vonn underwent a knee operation, where parts of the knee were replaced with titanium. Ten weeks later, the alpine legend was back on snow again – without feeling any pain.
Now, Vonn – who has taken three OS medals, eight VM medals, and 82 World Cup victories – reveals that she is joining the USA national team's camp in Colorado this weekend. The goal is set for a comeback in the speed disciplines super-G and downhill.
Fifth OS?
I love going fast. How fast can I go? I don't know. My goal is to enjoy this and hopefully, it will lead to World Cup competitions. Otherwise, I wouldn't be back in the USA national team, she says to The New York Times.
She believes it's possible to participate in the World Cup competitions in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on December 14-15, but hopes for a wildcard in super-G for the competitions in Swiss St. Moritz on December 21-22.
Vonn doesn't rule out a fifth OS in her career, but says she doesn't know how the next year will develop. The alpine women's competitions during OS 2026 will take place in Italian Cortina – where Vonn has won 12 World Cup competitions.
I think everyone knows how much I love Cortina, she says.
Already during the rehabilitation phase after the knee operation, the American realized that she could perform exercises she hadn't been able to do in eight years.
I've become stronger since then and have been able to test my knee harder, everything has gone well.
Vonn has been training on snow in New Zealand and three weeks in Austrian Sölden during the late summer and autumn.
I could do 15 runs. I haven't been able to do 15 runs in one day since mid-20s.
Wiberg: Will her body hold?
Former alpine star Pernilla Wiberg is worried about whether Vonn's body will hold.
She has had more operations than most in the World Cup and, of course, many victories. Her way of skiing has always been on the edge. The body can take a lot, but my concern is if she crashes again, will her body hold? says Wiberg, who is now an expert commentator, to SVT.
Lindsey Vonn:
I've always skied on the edge. I'm not afraid of myself. No one is immune to the dangers of downhill skiing, but I love it and it's a risk I'm willing to take, she says to The New York Times.
Daniel Kihlström/TT
Facts: Lindsey Vonn
TT
Born: October 18, 1984, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
World Cup debut: November 18, 2000 (as a 16-year-old).
Championship medals: One OS gold (downhill 2010), two OS bronzes (super-G 2010, downhill 2018), two World Championship golds (super-G and downhill 2009), three World Championship silvers (super-G and downhill 2007, downhill 2011), three World Championship bronzes (super-G 2015, downhill 2017 and 2019).
World Cup merits: Four total titles (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012), 16 discipline titles (eight downhill cups, five super-G, three combinations), 82 victories, 137 podiums.
Other: Has taken the third most World Cup victories of all time, after Mikaela Shiffrin, USA, (97 victories) and Ingemark Stenmark (86).
Current: Making a comeback more than five years after she ended her career in 2019.
