Just 19 days before the Winter Olympics, Lindsey Vonn gave fans a little scare as podium moments that once haunted her seemed to resurface. Recently, on 17 January, Vonn finished the World Cup downhill race in Tarvisio, Italy. But just after the race, as they celebrated the victory, she was caught off guard by an unexpected moment…

After finishing third in Tarvisio, Vonn joined her fellow podium finishers Nicol Delago of Italy (first) and Kira Weidle‑Winkelmann of Germany (second) to celebrate once the medals were done. The three athletes each held a bottle of champagne as part of the traditional ceremony. But when they tried to take a celebratory sip, Vonn’s moment didn’t go quite as planned.

Instead of a clean drink, the bubbly flooded her mouth and then sprayed out over her racing gear and the snow, leaving her and the other skiers laughing at the unexpected mess.

Lindsey Vonn shared the clip on her Instagram with the caption: “Champagne celebration gone wrong 🤣🤣🤣🤣 guess I need more practice🤪 🍾🥉 💃🏼”

Thankfully, this time it was all in good fun, with no injuries, but she hasn’t always been so lucky.

The most infamous incident happened in February 2009 at the World Championships in Val d’Isère, France. After the race, she tried to spray champagne as most winners do, but the bottle had a broken top and a jagged edge from when someone had used a ski to remove a stuck cork.

Vonn didn’t realize the bottle was damaged and grabbed it to spray the crowd, slicing her right thumb deeply enough to cut a tendon.

Vonn was immediately treated and stitched up by the team medical staff at the hotel and later underwent surgery on the tendon. The injury forced her to miss the giant slalom at those championships.

Vonn even joked afterward that, “I’m not going to be opening champagne bottles any time soon — probably not for the rest of my life.”

Still, playful mishaps aside, Vonn’s focus is firmly on the Olympics and she wants to make her final Games a memorable one.

Lindsey Vonn is not slowing down anytime soon

Having retired and then coming back at the age of 40, Lindsey Vonn has established herself as one of the most reliable downhillers on the World Cup speed scene. She also made history this season, by winning a World Cup downhill in St. Moritz, clocking 1:29.63, which earned her 83rd career World Cup victory and her 44th downhill win. At age 41, she became the oldest skier ever to win a World Cup race, marking her first victory since March 2018 in Are, Sweden.

Just days later, in the super‑G at Tarvisio, she finished second, bringing her to seven podiums in eight races this season, with her only finish off the podium being fourth. Her recent third place in Tarvisio added to this remarkable consistency.

No other skier in the speed events has more than three podiums so far this season. That also marked her fifth straight podium in downhill this season and six podiums in seven races overall. Interestingly enough, the last time the event was held in Tarvisio was in 2011 — when a 24-year-old Vonn clinched the win.

This level of performance makes Vonn a serious medal contender in both downhill and super‑G at the Milano‑Cortina Winter Olympics, now less than three weeks away. And it seems like Vonn will make her fifth Olympics one to remember.

As Lindsey Vonn said, “I always had one eye on Cortina because it’s a place that is very, very special to me. Although I can’t guarantee any outcomes, I can guarantee that I will give my absolute best every time l kick out of the starting gate. No matter how these games end up, I feel like I’ve already won.”

Lindsey Vonn might have a few surprises up her sleeve on the podium bubbly or otherwise but her focus, determination, and love of the sport guarantee her final Olympic run will be one no one will forget.