American alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin has shared her excitement over Lindsey Vonn’s impressive back-to-back bronze medals at the FIS World Cup in Val d’Isère, France, highlighting the strong camaraderie between the two U.S. Ski Team legends.
On December 20, Vonn, at age 41, secured third place in the women’s downhill, won by Austria’s Cornelia Hütter. The following day, December 21, she repeated the feat in the super-G, finishing third behind Italy’s Sofia Goggia and New Zealand’s Alice Robinson. These results mark Vonn’s third and fourth podiums of the 2025-26 season, building on her historic downhill victory in St. Moritz earlier in December—her 83rd career World Cup win and first since 2018.
Shiffrin, the all-time World Cup wins leader with over 100 victories, reacted enthusiastically on Instagram, reposting Vonn’s podium moment with the caption: “Goooo teammm @usskiteam.” This follows her earlier praise after Vonn’s St. Moritz triumph, where Shiffrin wrote: “What an incredible show of how far you can climb with hard work, determination, patience, and so much passion. Huge congratulations @lindseyvonn.”
Vonn’s remarkable comeback continues to inspire, having returned to competition in the 2024-25 season after retiring in 2019. Her recent performances have solidified her as a top contender heading into the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics, where she plans a final retirement.
Meanwhile, Shiffrin has dominated the technical disciplines this season, most recently claiming victory in slalom events earlier in the year, including a standout win at Copper Mountain. She opted to skip the Val d’Isère speed races, focusing on her strengths in slalom and giant slalom.
The mutual admiration between Shiffrin and Vonn underscores the strength of the U.S. women’s team as the Olympic season heats up. Both athletes are expected to represent the United States at the 2026 Games in February.
