Lindsey Vonn Makes Historic Return to World Cup Action at 40

One of the most decorated alpine ski racers of all time, Lindsey Vonn is coming back to World Cup action at 40 and a lot has changed. Vonn said she would make her long-awaited return to racing next weekend in a pair of speed events in her adopted hometown of St. Moritz, Switzerland, after a year away with a string of injuries that ended her career. Vonn announced herself, with a swipe at the picture perfect Swiss venue, by teasing the announcement with Instagram post featuring the word “St. Moritz,” and the line “I hear St Moritz is pretty nice this time of year.” The U.S. Ski Team did not take long to confirm her, making her first major race since February 2019.

The return of Vonn as the sport of alpine skiing desires for. She won 82 World Cup races over her glittering career, cementing her as one of the sport’s all time greats. St. Vonn, however, has enjoyed plenty of success at Moritz, where she has five podium appearances, winning as many as five World Cup races. That familiarity with the track could actually give her a competitive edge as she begins a new chapter of her career.

But Vonn’s retirement from competitive skiing followed a series of massive injuries, such as torn ACLs and multiple fractures most notably in her knee. The injuries kept her away from the sport after the 2019 World Championships in Sweden, where she finished third in the downhill. But though she has not been competing for nearly five years, her skiing passion has overcome her absence. Last April was a major turning point, when she underwent a partial knee replacement, a procedure which has helped her recover and build up the physical strength to return to the slopes.

For Vonn, she’s not just having a comeback, she’s having a proof to how resilient she is. To ski at the highest level takes an extraordinary physical and mental strength and Vonn has proven she still has both. Vonn, who has battled aging and recovering from major surgeries, remains eager to return to the World Cup circuit eager to show she can still fight the best in the world at 40.

While many may temper their expectations with Vonn’s long break and injury, Vonn’s return to St. Moritz is a great moment for her fans, the U.S. Ski Team  and for the sport of alpine skiing. Novak’s driven and persistent approach to the sport has always been a natural byproduct of her career, and I’m sure that this comeback will motivate generations of new skiers to come.