“You know, I might be older, but I’m not done yet.” Lindsey Vonn sent a crystal-clear message to her doubters as she stormed back onto the World Cup podium for the first time since coming out of retirement. At 40, after a five-year hiatus and a partial knee replacement, the American ski icon defied the odds, finishing second in the super-G at the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley. With that, she didn’t just prove she could still hang with the best. She shattered the record for the oldest woman to ever podium in a World Cup race.

From the moment she announced her return, skeptics lined up to call it a mistake. They doubted her body could handle the intensity, mocked her struggles in early races, and scoffed at the idea of a 40-year-old skier chasing Olympic glory. But Vonn never let the noise shake her. She endured crashes, equipment adjustments, and grueling training sessions. Yet through it all, her surgically repaired knee held up. No swelling, no icing, no backing down.

“Mind on @milanocortina26. 👀 @lindseyvonn looks ahead after finishing her comeback season on the podium.” That was the message from Team USA on X, and Vonn herself wasted no time in confirming it. “I mean, honestly, it couldn’t be a better way to end the season,” she said. “I’m so excited for next year and for Cortina. But now, you know, I think it just solidifies the fact that I can compete for a medal.” Her second-place finish in Sun Valley wasn’t just a feel-good comeback story.

It was a statement. Eleven months before the Milan Cortina Olympics, she has put the world on notice. The legend isn’t just back. She’s here to win. The podium finish proved what Vonn has been saying all season: she can still ski at an elite level. Though Swiss star Lara Gut-Behrami claimed the victory and the super-G season title, Vonn finishing just 1.29 seconds back was a testament to her fight.

She had already faced her share of doubts this year, with inconsistent finishes and adjustments to new equipment, but she thrives under pressure. “It’s the last race of the season. I just put it all on the line. This is the level that I know I can ski. I know I can even do better than that,” she told NBC Sports. And given her history in Cortina—the site of her first podium, her first World Cup title, and multiple records—there’s no doubt she’s eyeing one final Olympic moment.

Lindsey Vonn’s journey back to the top hasn’t been easy, but it’s never been about proving something to others. It’s about chasing what she knows is still possible. “It’s been a rough season of people saying that I can’t, that I’m too old, that I’m not good enough anymore. I think I proved everyone wrong.” With that fire and determination, the road to Milan Cortina just got a lot more interesting.

Lindsey’s journey through pain and redemption

Lindsey Vonn shared her Olympic dream experience through an interview on March 9 by disclosing how much she sacrificed to compete on the slopes. During a televised interview with CBS News, Vonn shared an emotional account about the countless injuries and medical procedures that had nearly destroyed her Olympic ambitions. “It was really bad, and I kept getting surgeries to try to,” she admitted.

The many surgical procedures she endured did not bring her any relief whatsoever. A string of setbacks gradually took away her athletic capability until she reached the point where retirement became inevitable. The entire community of skiers was shocked when Vonn withdrew from the competition due to exhaustion from high-level sporting activities.

The farewell ceremony was extremely difficult to bear for an athlete who spent every moment of life dedicated to racing fast downhill courses. Her life took an unexpected turn last year because she received a partial knee replacement. The operation was destined to reshape every opportunity ahead of her. It allowed her to extend her right leg to full height for the first time in several years, thus sparking her passion to keep moving forward.

Her increasing progress would create an opportunity to rewrite her record books. The medical transformation exceeded ordinary standards. The titanium implant enabled Lindsey Vonn to escape permanently from the persistent knee pain that had previously controlled her athletic career. “It was pretty quick after,” she said, describing the near-instant relief that allowed her to move without hesitation.

And with that, a new realization set in. If her body could handle the demands of elite skiing once more, there was no reason she couldn’t race again. “The reason I stopped before was because my body wasn’t working. And now that my body’s working again, my mind can do what it wants to do. Which is going fast,” she explained. And now, at 40, Vonn isn’t just back. No, she’s proving that her story is far from over.