For skiing fans, Lindsey Vonn is a household name. A four-time Olympian, she’s nabbed three Olympic medals—gold in downhill and bronze in Super-G at Vancouver 2010, plus another bronze in downhill at PyeongChang 2018. She held the record for the most World Cup wins by a woman with 82 victories until Mikaela Shiffrin surpassed her in 2023. But despite her lengthy list of accolades, it is not what the Minnesota native will be remembered for. She will be honored, first of all, for the most stellar comebacks of all time. Hers is a story of perseverance and grit. What makes her return so special?

Picture this: Sun Valley, Idaho, March 2025, the World Cup Finals. The crowd roars as Vonn rockets down the Super-G course, carving turns with that signature grit. When the clock stops, she’s done it—second place, a podium finish at 40 years and 156 days old, making her the oldest woman ever to medal in an alpine skiing World Cup event. Beating Elisabeth Görgl’s record (set at 34 in 2014) by over six years, Vonn’s tears on the podium say it all. “I fought my way back onto the podium… I can’t even start to describe what this means to me,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. This wasn’t just a race—it was a statement that shut up all naysayers who touted her for being too old. Her comeback is a story of staying motivated amid all storms and adversities. 

Vonn’s journey back wasn’t easy. After retiring in 2019, battered by injuries like ACL tears, MCL sprains, and meniscus damage, she thought her racing days were done. Then came a game-changer: a partial knee replacement in April 2024. “Essentially, I had a partial knee replacement, and I feel better now than I have in the last 8 or 9 years.”

That surgery gave her a new lease on ski life, but it took months of grueling rehab and training to hit competitive form. She started small, racing at the FIS Fall Festival in Colorado in November 2024, but Sun Valley was her proving ground. With younger stars like Lara Gut-Behrami taking first and Federica Brignone in third, Vonn’s podium was no fluke—she’s back, and she’s serious. But what’s driving her to keep pushing forward?

At the heart of Vonn’s comeback is a dream bigger than Sun Valley: the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Cortina’s special for her—it’s where she scored her first World Cup podium in 2004 and broke Annemarie Moser-Pröll’s record for women’s World Cup wins in 2015 with her 63rd victory. “Cortina is a place that I’ve always loved,” Vonn said. “It’s been a place that I hold a lot of very special memories… And to have the Olympics be in Cortina, that was something that motivated me.”

At 41 years old by February 2026, she’d be the first woman to race alpine skiing at that age in Olympic history. “I would be going at 41 years old, that’s never been done in ski racing for a woman, and I hope that it inspires others to follow their dreams,” she added. Her experience, especially knowing Cortina’s tricky Tofane course like the back of her hand, gives her an edge. Yet, what’s it like for her to chase this goal after such a long break?

What she missed most during her hiatus was the team vibe and wearing the Stars and Stripes. “What I missed the most is, you know, having that team experience, and representing country,” she said. “It’s such a different feeling.” The Olympics are the ultimate stage—she calls them “the pinnacle of sport and of life.” Her Vancouver 2010 gold changed her career’s trajectory, making her a North American icon. Now, she’s hungry to relive that unity and pride in Cortina. But can she defy the odds again?

Lindsey’s battles with injuries

On February 5, 2013, during the Super-G at the World Championships in Schladming, Austria, Lindsey Vonn suffered a catastrophic crash that derailed her season. About 40 seconds into her run, she caught an edge after a small jump, landing awkwardly in soft snow. She tumbled violently, screaming in pain, and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Doctors diagnosed a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) in her right knee, along with a fractured tibial plateau.

Well, determined yet, Vonn’s attempt to return for the 2014 Olympics was thwarted by additional crashes. In November 2013, while training in Colorado, she reinjured her right knee, partially tearing the repaired ACL. Then, on December 21, 2013, during a World Cup downhill in Val d’Isere, France, her knee buckled mid-turn, rupturing the ACL completely and worsening the MCL and joint damage.

She withdrew from the Sochi Olympics in January 2014. In 2016, a Super-G crash in Andorra fractured her left knee, and in November 2017, a training crash in Colorado broke her right humerus, which she called her “hardest recovery.” By 2019, chronic knee pain forced her retirement. In April 2024, a partial knee replacement offered relief. Rehab was intense, but by November 2024, she was racing again, driven by her mantra: “I’ve always been very driven in my life since I was a kid. I never really like to stop moving.” Her sights are set on Cortina 2026, though she admits, “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to ski as fast.”

As Vonn looks ahead, she’s realistic but relentless. “My passion for skiing will never change, I will always miss it,” she said. “The drive to want to go fast will always be there.” Sun Valley proved she’s still got it—her 138th career World Cup podium, with 82 wins and 28 second places, shows she’s no nostalgia act. Critics doubted her, whispering she was too old, but she silenced them with that Idaho silver. “It’s been a rough season of people saying that I can’t, that I’m too old,” she said. “I think I proved everyone wrong.”

With 10 months until Cortina’s Olympic cauldron lights up, Vonn’s training is for what could be her final shot at glory. She’s not just racing for herself—she’s racing to show the world what’s possible. Will Lindsey Vonn cap her comeback with one last Olympic moment? Only time and the slopes will tell.