“I had such a big smile”: Lindsey Vonn on her skiing comeback

The former “speed queen” Lindsey Vonn (40) is returning to alpine skiing. The American, who had 82 World Cup victories in a career that lasted until 2019, made this announcement on Thursday (November 14th).

Vonn also posted a short video of herself on the slopes on Instagram, saying that she hoped the racing suit would still fit her. In an interview with the daily newspaper, Vonn revealed the fortunate circumstances that made her surprising comeback at the age of 40 possible.

The four-time overall World Cup winner announced her retirement from skiing in a moving Instagram post in 2019. “Despite intensive therapy, training and a knee brace, I am unable to do the rotations necessary to fight the way I could. My body is broken beyond repair,” .

Vonn revealed to the New York Times that she was no longer able to straighten her right leg for almost ten years. This was accompanied by problems with her hips, her back and her neck.

But an operation in April of this year brought about a turnaround that she had previously not foreseen. “I underwent the operation because I was at the end of my strength,” Vonn said literally. During the operation, three millimeters of bone was removed and replaced with titanium.

Just one month later, she was able to stretch her right leg again and train the strength in her legs. There was nothing standing in the way of returning to skiing. “Everything felt so different,” Vonn says. A few cautious private training sessions led to a return to the United States ski team.

“I had such a big smile that it came through the back of my helmet,” Vonn reveals about her positive experiences after the extremely successful surgical procedure. Now her goal is to “enjoy this, and hopefully this path will lead me to World Cup racing. I wouldn’t be back on the US Ski Team if I didn’t have intentions.”