Lindsey Vonn makes shock retirement U-turn at 40 and teases Olympics comeback

American ski legend Lindsey Vonn makes a stunning return to the slopes – five years after retiring due to injury problems.

The three-time Olympic medalist has teased a possible return to the Games in Italy in 2026, when she turns 41.

She cited LeBron James as an example of what can still be achieved at her age and recalled a conversation with Roger Federer, who told her, “I squeezed every drop out of the lemon I had.” Vonn has claimed, “I feel like I have more juice in my lemon now.”

She retired from the sport in February 2019, largely due to problems with her right knee after several crashes and surgeries.

Vonn had been unable to straighten her leg for almost a decade and previously claimed she had “no intention” of returning.

But seven months after undergoing knee replacement surgery, the 40-year-old confirmed she is now pain-free and rejoining the US ski team.

The three-time Olympic medalist is teasing a possible return to the Games in Italy in 2026

According to the New York Times, she could participate in the World Cup circuit again next month.

‘(It’s) amazing and certainly not planned… my goal is to enjoy this, and hopefully that path will take me to World Cup races. “I wouldn’t be on the U.S. Ski Team anymore if I didn’t have intentions,” she told the Times.

Vonn did not rule out participation in a fifth Winter Olympics in 2026. The alpine races will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she has previously enjoyed great success.

“I have always enjoyed racing in Cortina and I have had a lot of success in Cortina,” she said. ‘I don’t know what the next few months and the next year and a half have in store for me. So I can’t say right now if it’s a possibility… but I think everyone knows how much I love Cortina.”

Vonn went under the knife again after reaching “the end of the road.” But she returned to the slopes just ten weeks later and was able to ski without pain.

“Everything felt so different,” she said. ‘I’m not chasing anything. I’m not trying to prove anything to anyone.’ Vonn added, “With what I’ve done in my career… I don’t have any pressure. It’s just me and the mountain as it was in the beginning.’

Vonn was inspired to return by her mother Linda Krohn, who died of ALS in 2022. “I always feel like I have a responsibility to myself and to her to reach my maximum potential every day and never regret it. “I now feel like I would regret it if I didn’t try,” she said.

The 40-year-old first made the national team 22 years ago and remains the only American woman to win Olympic downhill gold.