Nearly six years after retiring, American alpine skiing legend Lindsey Vonn returned to competition this weekend at Copper Mountain, Colorado, participating in two downhill and two Super-G races at the FIS Fall Festival.
At 40, Vonn placed 24th and 27th in Saturday’s downhill runs out of 40 finishers. On Sunday, she secured 24th (of 31) and 19th (of 28) in the Super-G. The event, while a tier below the World Cup circuit, featured elite skiers preparing for next weekend’s World Cup event at the same venue. Her performance earned her the right to request a World Cup wild card, confirmed by the FIS, skiing’s international governing body.
“Well … after a solid weekend of races I am now qualified to race World Cup!” Vonn posted on X. “Now let’s see when I’m ready.”
Vonn, a former Olympic and world champion with 82 World Cup wins, announced her comeback plans last month. A knee injury ended her illustrious career after the 2019 World Championships, but a recent knee replacement left her pain-free and considering a return to competitive skiing. She aims to regain her form for potential World Cup races and even an unlikely bid for the 2026 Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she has 12 career World Cup victories.
"I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself because I have quite a few hoops to jump through,” Vonn told The New York Times, tempering speculation about a possible Olympic return.
This weekend marked her first competitive step back. In a Friday Instagram post, she described the races as a “training opportunity to keep on building,” adding, “100% will come in time but not tomorrow.”
Vonn’s downhill times on Saturday were 1.44 and 1.53 seconds off the winning marks of Austria’s Mirjam Puchner and Cornelia Huetter, respectively. On Sunday, her Super-G runs were over two seconds behind fellow American Lauren Macuga, who claimed victory.
Despite the results, Vonn remained upbeat. “Today was a solid start, and I had a blast being in start with my teammates again!” she wrote on X. “While I’m sure people will speculate and say I’m not in top form because of the results, I disagree. This was training for me. I’m still testing equipment and getting back in the groove. This is only the beginning.”
Under FIS regulations, retired skiers with high-level success can compete again if they meet minimum point requirements. The U.S. Ski & Snowboard team must formally request any wild cards for Vonn. Her next steps after Copper Mountain are yet to be announced.
When Vonn retired, she was the most successful American World Cup skier in history, with her 82 victories second only to Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark. Since then, fellow American Mikaela Shiffrin has broken that record with 99 wins.
As a four-time overall World Cup champion and a member of four U.S. Olympic teams, Vonn’s return comes with high expectations. Still, she is taking it one step at a time, focusing on rediscovering her competitive edge.
“It’s been six years since I last raced, so I still have a lot of equipment to test, finding my groove, and really getting into racing form,” Vonn shared on Instagram. “I am having a lot of fun and want to keep on doing so!”
