Lindsay Vonn41, said she missed the phone-free focus of being an athlete after her retirement.
In the Wednesday episode of the “Pretty cool” podcast, Vonn told host Maria Sharapova that she was still thinking about being active on the way home from her Olympic injury.
“I was coming up the hill to my house and I thought, ‘God, I’d like to do a hill sprint right now,’” Vonn said. “Then I thought to myself, ‘What’s wrong with me? Why do I want to do that now, even if the pain is unbearable?'”
The alpine skier said exercising gave her the chance to be “extremely focused”, something she found “really therapeutic”.
“The work ethic, the pain and the exhaustion in the gym was always something I really enjoyed because I felt like I got so much out of it,” Vonn said.
“I was so present and focused. You’re not on your phone. You’re not thinking about emails,” she continued.
In retirement, she found it harder to feel fully present and missed the distraction-free focus that came with a structured exercise routine.
“There’s really no time unless you set aside time at the gym or like you have a specific amount of time where you’re meditating, where you’re actually present,” Vonn said. “We’re being pulled in so many different directions.”
But for her and other elite athletes, sports can create a rare “bubble” in which they can shut out the rest of the world, Vonn said.
Vonn, a triple Olympic medalistinitially announced her retirement from the sport in 2019. Five years later, months after undergoing knee replacement surgery, Vonn said The New York Times she rejoined the U.S. ski team.
In 2026, Vonn competed in her fifth Olympic Games Milan Cortina Gameswhere she crashed during the women’s downhill competition. She was flown out of the course and later said she had a complex tibia fracture.
During the podcast, Vonn said she was “pretty far away from knowing” the future of her competitive skiing career but hoped to make a decision “next spring” after additional surgery and a “mental, physical wellness check.”
Other athletes have also spoken about finding it difficult to replace the intensity of competition after retirement.
By 2024, Tom Brady said nothing could match the excitement of taking the field with his teammates. Former NHL player Brooks Laich similarly told Business Insider in July that it took him years to find a new sense of purpose after retiring from hockey.
