"I’d expected never to race again"- Lindsey Vonn gets real about coming out of retirement after partial knee replacement surgery

Lindsey Vonn expressed her thoughts about coming out of retirement nearly six years after she hung up her boots as a professional skier. The Olympic gold medalist shared that she did not want to miss out on different opportunities that come her way if she could get back on the slopes by being completely fit.

The American skier bid goodbye to the sport in 2019 and went on to explore different avenues. Lindsey Vonn had been dealing with long-standing knee issues for a long time and decided to undergo a partial knee replacement surgery in April 2024.

After undergoing rehabilitation, Vonn returned to the slopes and announced her decision to come out of retirement and compete professionally as a part of the US Ski Team. Even though the American athlete struggled during her early performances, she was optimistic about improving consistently while competing against some of the best athletes in the world.

Lindsey Vonn finally registered a podium position by finishing second at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup finals in March 2023. She spoke about making a comeback in an interview with outsideonline.com and shared that it was something that she had never expected. However, after her mindset changed after her partial knee replacement surgery, and while weighing in on her comeback, she said:

“I’d expected never to race again. But I can physically do it. And I love ski racing—life’s too short not to take opportunities like this."

Vonn hopes to qualify for the upcoming Winter Olympics that are slated to be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo from February 6, 2026.

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Lindsey Vonn opens up about registering the podium position in the World Cup

Team USA Media Summit Ahead Of Milano Cortina 2026 - Source: Getty

Lindsey Vonn opened up about registering a podium position at the World Cup finale in an appearance on Jimmy Fallon. The American athlete called it a 'crazy comeback' and shared how people did not expect her to improve in such a short time after her knee surgery.

Vonn expressed that the performance gave her the confidence to push harder and strive towards her goal of competing at the Olympics.

"You know this is kind of a crazy comeback. I have a titanium knee. I am forty-one. I already had the record for the oldest Olympic medalist at thirty-three. I think some people were a little bit sceptical of my comeback, but you know, when I got the silver medal at the last World Cup, it was just like the Olympics for me. I did it for myself. I knew I could do it, but so many people said that I couldn't. I proved everyone wrong. I proved myself, I could," she said. (2:44 onwards)

Moreover, Vonn wanted to send out a message to the youth about believing in their dreams and having a never-give-up attitude.