Alpine skiing | The story behind Lindsey Vonn’s comeback

Five years ago, Lindsey Vonn retired from ski racing, primarily because her right knee, damaged by high-speed falls and multiple surgeries, could no longer handle the stress of the sport.

“My career ended with no intention of coming back,” Vonn, a three-time Olympic medalist and winner of 82 World Cup races, said in an interview last week. But seven months ago, Vonn underwent right knee replacement surgery. Ten weeks later, she started skiing again and was surprised to no longer feel pain.

“I had a smile so big it was visible from the back of my helmet. »

In a turnaround that Vonn, 40, called “incredible and definitely not expected,” she joined the U.S. ski team Friday with hopes of competing on the World Cup circuit this winter, may -be next month. Vonn, who has secretly done 15 days of on-snow training in Europe and New Zealand since August, explained that she would participate in the U.S. team’s training sessions at Copper Mountain, Colorado, which began Saturday, focusing on the speed disciplines of super-G and downhill.

Vonn is trying to join a growing list of professional athletes — including NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who won a Super Bowl at age 43; Serena Williams, who left tennis a few days before her 41^e anniversary with 23 Grand Slam titles; and Tiger Woods, who won the Masters at age 43 – who extended their careers into their 40s.

She added: “Obviously I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t hoping to run. I have aspirations. I like to go fast. How fast can I go? I don’t know. »

“But I’m not going to put myself in a position of failure. My goal is to enjoy this experience, and I hope this path takes me to World Cup races. I wouldn’t be back on the US Ski Team if I didn’t have these intentions. »

A return to the Olympics for the fifth time could be in Vonn’s future in 15 months. The Alpine events of the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, where Vonn won 12 World Cup races between 2008 and 2018.

“I’m not trying to prove anything.”

At the same time, Vonn seemed eager to define the motivations for her return.

“I’m not chasing anything; I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone,” she said, adding, “With what I’ve accomplished in my career, I’m grateful to be able to be in this position. I have no pressure. It’s just me and the mountain, like in the beginning. »

Vonn also mentioned her mother, Linda Krohn, who died two years ago from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Krohn had suffered a stroke while giving birth to Lindsey, which left her with partial paralysis in her left leg. Since she was a teenager, Vonn has often spoken about the daily challenges her mother faced, and she did so again last week.

“I always had a different perspective because of her,” Vonn admitted hesitantly. I always felt like I had a responsibility to myself and to her to live each day to my maximum potential and have no regrets. I feel now that I would regret it if I didn’t try. »

In the short term, Vonn, the only American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in downhill, hopes to use the Copper Mountain sessions to reaccustom herself to the aerobic demands of downhill and super-G.

“I’ve done 60-second jumps and super-Gs before, but I haven’t done a full course yet. I definitely need to take this next step to really establish a solid plan going forward. »

She added that she was “hopeful that we can do something” at the Women’s World Cup races in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on December 14-15. Vonn could act as the competition’s usher, when skiers not competing in the race test the course in the minutes before the start. Vonn’s next goal could be to use an invitational entry, which gives racing exemptions to former Olympic and world champions, to compete in the World Cup super-G races Dec. 21-22 in St. Moritz , in Switzerland.

“Everything seemed so different”

A month after surgery, Vonn could straighten her right leg, and during gym rehabilitation sessions, she found she could perform leg-strengthening exercises she hadn’t been able to do in eight years.

“Everything seemed so different. »

It didn’t take long before Vonn wondered how her knee would hold up on a ski slope. When a casual free ski outing went well, she contacted her former coach Chris Knight and, along with Patrick Riml, a longtime U.S. Ski Team coach and official who now works for one of the Vonn’s sponsors, Red Bull, they left for New Zealand at the end of August.

“I was able to get strong up to that point and I could really start to push my knee, and it all went really well. I did 15 runs. I hadn’t done 15 runs in a day since I was 25. »

Three more weeks of training in Sölden, Austria followed in October. Discussions with the U.S. ski team took place soon after.

Vonn, who first joined the national team 22 years ago, will join a squad very different from the one she enjoyed in her prime. At the time, Vonn was the star of the women’s program, a role now filled by Mikaela Shiffrin, who eclipsed Vonn’s World Cup records in 2023 and won the most Alpine races in history. When Vonn was asked if this dynamic would require an adjustment period, she replied, “No, definitely not. I’m really excited to get back on the team with her and the rest of the girls. »

Speaking of Shiffrin, she added: “I think what she’s done for the sport is incredible and I’m really excited to be her teammate again. »

Vonn will also return to a Women’s World Cup circuit where the average age of a rider is 26. This doesn’t deter Vonn.

She cited NBA star LeBron James, who turns 40 on December 30, as an example.

“He continues to dominate everything. »

This article was published in the New York Times.

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