Clash of legends: Sonja Nef destroys Lindsey Vonn: “I didn’t think she was that stupid”

Five years after ending her career, Lindsey Vonn will attempt, at the age of 40 and with a knee prosthesis, a return to competition. Sonja Nef and Bruno Kernen, who also have artificial knees, think this is not a good idea.

The excitement among ski fans was overwhelming last week when the news was made official: Lindsey Vonn is returning to the U.S. team and will be heading to Colorado to train with the speed team for the first descents of the season. in December. Vonn does not hide her ambition: she is aiming for a return to the World Cup.

In 2019, however, she announced her retirement. After countless injuries, the pain was no longer bearable. But since then, Vonn has undergone several operations, and last April, she had a knee replacement. And today, at 40, Lindsey Vonn is ready to take on a new challenge.

And the ambitious American isn’t just coming back to have fun. But at her age, after years of absence and with a knee prosthesis, will she be able to compete with the best? Sonja Nef and Bruno Kernen, two ski legends who also have knee prostheses, expressed their doubts in the “Blick”.

A risky bet

Bruno Kernen certainly believes that Vonn could, over time, move up the rankings. “But I don’t think she can get a World Cup podium,” he says. Sonja Nef goes further, calling a victory for Vonn in a World Cup race “totally impossible”: “At 40, you can’t give everything at this level, and even less so with a knee prosthesis. »

What worries the two legends of Swiss skiing the most is the health of the former dominatrix of speed events. Kernen himself had to give up his job as a cameraman for SRF because of his artificial knee. “My doctor clearly explained to me that if I suffered a heavy fall and the prosthesis was damaged, it might be impossible to repair it, and I would probably have to stiffen the knee,” he confides.

Sonja Nef shares this concern: “A fall could be catastrophic, because Lindsey has a metal knee. Period. No surgeon in the world would call his project intelligent.” For Nef, this return to competition is a bet that Vonn can only lose.

Does the ski queen need attention?

When the latter heard about the rumors of Vonn’s return, she initially thought it was a joke: “I said to myself: she can’t be that stupid. But it obviously is – unfortunately. In my opinion, Lindsey is destroying part of her image.”

For the former giant world champion (2001), the reasons for this risky and sensational return are obvious: “I think Lindsey has difficulty adapting to a normal life, where she is not constantly under the spotlights. It makes me sad for her,” confides Nef.

What does Lindsey Vonn think of all this? She reacted ironically on X (formerly Twitter) to Nef and Kernen’s warnings: “Very kind words, Sonja and Bruno. I will not forget them.”