“Well guys, I got my knee replaced… surgery went very well” – Lindsey Vonn posted on Instagram on April 8, 2024. This was among the most recent in a series of surgeries Vonn sustained throughout her legendary alpine skiing career. So imagine the skiing community’s surprise when the 82-time World Cup race winner announced her comeback at 40.
Vonn had been teasing fans with posts from Solden, Austria, where the 2024-25 World Cup kicked off on October 26. “Been putting in the work here in Sölden. Having the time of my life and seeing how things go. Just happy.” she posted on October 22. However, it was the U.S. Ski Team who made it official. “Welcome back to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team,” they posted on X. And thus began the much-anticipated comeback of the three-time Olympic medalist. So, what are the top five moments from the skiing legend’s historic career?
World Cup Downhill, Cortina, 2004
One of the highlights of Lindsey Vonn’s career was the first time she reached the podium at the World Cup. Little did the 40-year-old know that the third-place finish in the Downhill at Cortina, Italy, would be the first of a record-breaking 82 victories. However, what made it even more special was the challenges the skier overcame to reach the podium. In a conversation with LinkedIn’s CEO Ryan Roslansky in October, Vonn revealed how winning her first World Cup race was a badge of honor.
In 2002, when the four-time overall World Cup winner was just 16, she overheard her coach’s conversation. They discussed that maybe Vonn, “didn’t have what it would take to make it to the Olympics.” It was a devasting blow, but it set a fire in her heart – Lindsey Vonn gritted her teeth and got to training, ultimately making the 2002 Winter Olympic team.
However, it was the 2004 World Cup where she truly saw her hard work pay off. “I finally made it!” the Olympian recalled telling her father on the phone, as per Red Bull. Vonn’s next achievement on the list was another first for her career.
World Cup Giant Slalom, Solden, Austria, 2011
By 2010, the athlete whose coaches once doubted her earned her first Olympic medal. So, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics gold medalist came into the World Cup with a ton of expectations. And while many may have folded under the pressure, Vonn shined. On the opening day of the season in October 2011, Lindsey Vonn sped to the top spot in the giant salmon at Solden.
However, among the many giant slalom runs in her career, the one at Solden may have been the greatest. That’s with her giant slalom victory, the Olympic champion became only the sixth woman to win all five alpine skiing disciplines. 2011 marked the year Vonn joined the exclusive club of women who had won the slalom, giant slalom, downhill, super-g, and combined events at the World Cup. Next up is a venue that’s an unofficial venue named after the Olympian.
‘Lake Lindsey’: Lindsey Vonn’s World Cup Dominance
No other athlete has dominated races at Lake Louise, Canada, quite like the 40-year-old. The alpine skiing legend has won a mind-boggling 18 times, the venue throughout her career. Her record-breaking runs at the venues had led fans to address Lake Louise as Lake Lindsey. However, the veteran skier’s 2014 downhill victory at Lake Lindsey was truly special.
That’s because Lindsey Vonn returned to Lake Louise in 2014 with a chip on her shoulder. After an injury prevented her from competing at Sochi, Vonn showcased why the fans named the venue after her, emphatically winning the race half a second ahead of the second place Stacey Cook. “I remember that one being very emotional,” Von confessed, adding, “It meant the world to me, just unbelievable, like a dream day” as she recalled her return from a shin injury.
Lindsey Vonn’s downhill victory: PyeongChang 2018
While Mikaela Shiffrin eclipsed Lindsey Vonn’s 82 World Cup victories on 24 January 2023, many other records remain intact. Just as she became the first woman to ski down the legendary Kitzbuhel the same month Shiffrin surpassed her 82 victories milestone, Vonn remains the oldest woman to win a medal in any of the five disciplines.
At 33, Lindsey Vonn won a bronze in the downhill event at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Vonn dedicated the record-setting achievement to her grandfather, who passed away in the months leading up to the Winter Games. “I wanted to win so much because of him, but I still think I made him proud,” she said as per Red Bull. And finally, we come to the 40-year-old’s Olympic legacy.
Vonn’s Olympics triumphs
Whether it was to prove her coaches wrong in 2002 or to become the oldest woman to win an Olympic medal in alpine skiing, Vonn’s Olympic journey has been a historic one. While it took the 40-year-old eight years to win her first medal since making her debut, it was one of the highlights of Vonn’s career. That’s because the skiing icon won not one but two medals in 2010.
Besides winning gold in the downhill at Vancouver, Vonn also won a bronze in the Super G. Recalling her journey of beating the odds and cashing glory, Vonn wrote about her 2010 Olympic victory in her book Rise (2022). “My win was the end result of every choice and every effort I’d made since I was nine years old,” she wrote in her book.
Lindsey Vonn’s comeback may materialize on the Olympic stage as well. While the veteran champion is back with the U.S. Olympic team, she hasn’t said when or which event she’ll compete in. The 2024-25 World Cup season is out of the question, as the competition has already begun. So there’s a possibility that the skiing legend could take her time and take to the slopes once again during the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. And yes, it’s the same Cortina where Vonn won her first World Cup medal.
