Five years ago, Lindsey Vonn retired from ski racing, primarily due to the relentless pain in her right knee, which had been damaged by high-speed crashes and numerous surgeries. The toll of the sport had become too much for her body to endure.

“My career ended without any plans of a return,” Vonn, who has won three Winter Olympic medals and 82 World Cup races, said in a recent interview. However, seven months ago, Vonn underwent right knee replacement surgery. Within ten weeks, she was back on the slopes, pleasantly surprised to find herself pain-free.

“I had a smile so wide it was practically spilling out from behind my helmet,” Vonn recalled.

In a turn of events that Vonn, now 40, described as “amazing and definitely unexpected,” she will rejoin the U.S. ski team this Friday with aspirations of competing in the World Cup circuit this winter, potentially as early as next month. Since August, Vonn has privately logged 15 days of on-snow training across Europe and New Zealand. She plans to participate in training sessions with the U.S. ski team at Copper Mountain, Colorado, starting Saturday, where she will focus on speed disciplines such as super-G and downhill.

Vonn aims to join the growing list of professional athletes—such as NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who won a Super Bowl at age 43, tennis legend Serena Williams, who retired with 23 Grand Slam titles just before her 41st birthday, and Tiger Woods, who won the Masters at age 43—who have managed to extend their careers into their 40s.

“I’m not getting ahead of myself,” Vonn said, “because there are still a lot of hurdles to clear.” She added, “Clearly, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t intend to race. I have goals, and I love speed. How fast can I go? I don’t know. But I’m not setting myself up for failure. My aim is to enjoy the journey, and if that takes me to World Cup races, then great. I wouldn’t be returning to the U.S. ski team if I didn’t have serious intentions.”

Vonn’s return to the Olympics for a fifth time could be part of her future plans, with the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on the horizon. Vonn has had great success on the slopes there, winning 12 World Cup races between 2008 and 2018.

Asked about the possibility of another Olympic appearance, Vonn emphasized the need for consistent racing progress but did not rule it out.

“I’ve always loved racing in Cortina, and I’ve had a lot of success there,” Vonn said. “I don’t know what the next few months or the next year and a half will bring, so I can’t say for sure whether it’s possible.” She paused before adding, “But I think everyone knows how much I love Cortina.”

“I’m Not Trying to Prove Anything”

Vonn also took time to clarify her motivations for this comeback.

“I’m not chasing anything; I’m not trying to prove anything,” she stated. “With everything I’ve accomplished, I’m thankful just to be in this position. There’s no pressure. It’s just me and the mountain, just like it was when I first started.”

She also spoke emotionally about her mother, Linda Krohn, who passed away two years ago from ALS. Krohn had suffered a stroke during childbirth that left her partially paralyzed, and Vonn has often spoken about the challenges her mother faced.

“I’ve always had a different perspective because of her,” Vonn said, fighting back tears. “I’ve always felt a responsibility to live every day to my fullest potential, with no regrets. Now, I feel like I’d regret it if I didn’t give this a try.”

For now, Vonn, who made history as the first American woman to win an Olympic gold in downhill, is hoping the Copper Mountain sessions will help her readjust to the physical demands of downhill and super-G racing.

“I’ve already done jumps and 60-second super-G runs, but I haven’t tackled a full-length course yet,” Vonn said. “That’s the next step I need to complete before I can really set a solid plan for the future.”

She added that she hopes to make a mark at the women’s World Cup races in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on December 14 and 15. Vonn might even serve as a forerunner for the race, testing the course in the minutes before the competition. Her next goal could be entering the World Cup super-G races in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on December 21 and 22, possibly with a wild card registration that allows former Olympic and world champions to bypass qualification.

“Everything Felt So Different”

In April, when Vonn was preparing for yet another knee surgery, she insisted she had no desire to race again. For nearly a decade, she had been unable to fully straighten her right leg, which caused problems throughout her hip, back, and neck.

“I was having surgery because I was at the end of my rope,” Vonn explained, recalling a procedure in which Dr. Martin Roche removed three millimeters of bone and replaced it with titanium. “I hoped it would allow me to live pain-free.”

Within a month of the surgery, Vonn could straighten her leg again, and in her rehab sessions, she was able to do leg-strengthening exercises she hadn’t been able to perform in years.

“Everything felt so different,” Vonn said. Before long, she began wondering how her knee would handle skiing again. After a successful casual ski outing, she contacted her former coach, Chris Knight, and along with Patrick Riml, a longtime U.S. ski team coach now working with one of Vonn’s sponsors, Red Bull, they headed to New Zealand in late August.

“I had gotten stronger by then and started really testing my knee, and it all went really well,” Vonn said. “I was doing 15 runs a day. I haven’t done that many runs in a day since I was in my mid-20s.”

She continued training in Sölden, Austria, in October, and talks with the U.S. ski team followed soon after.

Now, as she prepares to rejoin the U.S. ski team, Vonn faces a very different landscape. During her prime, she was the standout star of the women’s program, but now that role belongs to Mikaela Shiffrin, who surpassed Vonn’s World Cup records in 2023 and has set a new benchmark for Alpine skiing. When asked if adjusting to this shift would be difficult, Vonn replied, “Not at all. I’m excited to be back on the team with her and the other girls.”

Regarding Shiffrin’s accomplishments, she said, “I think it’s incredible what she’s done for the sport, and I’m excited to be her teammate again.”

Despite the average age of World Cup racers being 26, Vonn is undeterred. She pointed to NBA superstar LeBron James, who will turn 40 in December, as proof that age is no barrier to success.

“He’s still out there dominating,” Vonn said.

Though racing down an icy course at 70 miles per hour is a different challenge from playing basketball, Vonn noted, “The risk has always been there throughout my career.”

“I’m not someone who’s afraid,” she said. “Downhill skiing comes with risks, but I love it, and I’m willing to take that chance.”

Last week, Vonn recalled a conversation she had with tennis legend Roger Federer, who retired at 41, about knowing when to walk away.

“He told me something that really stuck with me,” Vonn said. “He said, ‘I squeezed every drop out of the lemon that I had. There was nothing left for me to give.’”

“And I felt that way when I retired,” Vonn continued. “But now, I feel like I’ve got more juice in my lemon.”