14th, 6th, and 4th—these are the ranks of Lindsey Vonn after announcing her comeback in the FIS Ski World Cup 2024. Last year, she started her second inning in the Alpine ski racing in Saint Moritz, the Swiss ski destination. At 40, it was her first World Cup race and she used every ounce of her determination to set the tone. After all, Vonn is looking forward to her entry into Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Well, after the 14th place, Vonn had her chances in Saint Anton. 

In the Austrian town, Lindsey had been set to enter the downhill race. It had to be her first downhill race since her retirement in 2019. So, expectations were high. Could the 40-year-old with a titanium knee be able to make her mark? Furthermore, would she be able to go past the image that she made in her first inning? In the end, Vonn ended her downhill race in Saint Anton, securing the sixth position. So, again the top list remained away from her. 

Vonn, however, had another chance. The next day, the American ski racer entered the Super-G race in Saint Anton. This time, she fought harder. Ultimately, she overcame issues like poor visibility and claimed the fourth position in the race. One rank away from the top list! Would these results suppress her momentum? No, actually. On January 12, Lindsey Vonn shared an Instagram post to reveal her emotions after completing the full race in the World Cup. 

The former Olympian displayed hope in the post all along. The results, in fact, couldn’t dampen her excitement. Instead, those injected more determination into her. In her Instagram post, Vonn wrote, “What a weekend!! 4th and 6th place in my second and third race back….every day it’s getting better. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported me, means a lot!” In 2007, she had a similar chance in the World Championship. 

In those days, Vonn was in Are, Sweden, competing in the global event. However, she concluded the contest by winning silver medals in both downhill and super-G races. More than a decade later, she had a similar chance in Austria, where she competed in both races on January 11 and 12. But no medal followed her this time. Wait, Vonn had something to cherish in Saint Anton. 

On January 11, the Italian ski racer, Federica Brignone, took the top seat in the downhill event. Vonn followed her hard, finishing in 6th place. But she remained just half of a second short of catching Brignone. Meanwhile, her super pace made her the topper among the ski racers of her American team. In the super-G race as well, Vonn chased Brignone’s timing hard. In the race, she remained the fastest in the middle section of the race. Here, in 2007, she won her race. She had the idea of the turns in the sections. Those ideas helped her on Sunday to remain unbelievably fast in the race. 

In the meantime, Vonn went past the Olympic champion Lara Gut-Behrami in the race. Also, she witnessed the next-generation US star Lauren Macuga winning the race. She wished the 22-year-old luck in her post. In her presence, such an iconic performance surely melted Vonn’s heart. Altogether, the 2-day event had every reason to make her delighted. But wait! Aren’t her performances a clear reply to her critics? 

Lindsey Vonn is setting up the tone while replying to her critics 

In Saint Anton, Lindsey Vonn’s strong finishes earned her the necessary points. Next, she will be in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Italian ski racing destination, scheduled to host the Winter Olympics in 2026. Vonn is excited to earn a chance to enter the Italian snowy zone. And why shouldn’t she be? In Cortina d’Ampezzo, she has 12 of 82 World Cup wins in her career. So, this time as well, she will look forward to landing another stunning result in the destination. Her result could be her staunch reply to her critics. 

Yes, at the beginning of the season, the four-time World Cup champion had to experience a lot of distasteful situations because she decided to make a comeback at 40. A few came as her criticism. One such came from Pirmin Zurbriggen. The retired Swiss Alpine ski racer raised doubt on Vonn’s mental strength. He wasn’t sure whether the ski racer would be able to match up with her bad days in the race. “Can Lindsey accept it if she comes 25th?” Pirmin asked the question. On the other hand, Michaela Dorfmeister had a similar view. She rather asked, “Does she want to kill herself?” Well, Vonn is healthy and up for another race.