Lately it's been one surprise after another from Lindsey Vonn. And the report that the 41-year-old skiing queen has qualified for the Cortina Olympics in Milan in February is not the least of it.
It could be her post on Instagram which stated in no uncertain terms that this would be the end.
“I am honored to represent my country again at my fifth and final Olympic Games!” Vonn said.
Vonn's remarkable and inspiring comeback from injury and a seven-year hiatus from top-level skiing have added a compelling narrative to the Team USA narrative. The fact that her search will end in the mountains of northern Italy in just two months will make this video must-see television and social media.
The last two weeks have returned Vonn to the international stage, as well as to the podium, which she has achieved in four of her first five races this season. This includes impressive victory on the descent in St. Moritz, Switzerland, December 12.
This marked her first World Cup victory since 2018. And it is now official that Vonn will compete in her fifth Olympic Games, where she won gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G at the 2010 Games in Vancouver and bronze in the downhill at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang.
Much of the surprise stems from her age. Vonn's victory in St. Moritz made her the oldest woman to win a World Cup race by seven years. Federica Brignone of Italy set the record a year ago, winning 10 races at the age of 34.
She is also the first World Championship winner since titanium implants in the right knee. And she will become the first quad to lead the U.S. Alpine Ski Team, seven years after she nearly retired.
In a moving column on 10 February 2019 at the World Championships, Helen Elliott of The Times. wrote what was essentially a wire for Vonn: “She gave it her all until the very end, because that’s the only way Lindsey Vonn knew how to ski. She was bruised and battered as she walked to the starting gate of the final race of her career on Sunday, her entire body aching and her right eye blackened from a crash she suffered during a super-giant slalom race earlier this week on the track World Championships. Her ligaments were torn and her bones were sometimes broken, but her competitiveness was never waned, never dented, never compromised.”
Well, 2026 is just around the corner and Vonn is back and unscathed, still competitive. She hasn't officially qualified for the Olympics in super-G, but she's the fastest American woman and third in the world, so consider that her next headline.
“Lindsay’s qualification for the 2026 Olympic team is a testament to her resilience and dedication, and the remarkable results she achieved at the world championships this season,” Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of US Ski & Snowboard, said in a statement. “She has once again proven that elite performance is not just about past successes, it is about keeping up with the times, race after race.
“We are thrilled to support her at the Olympics.”
