Lindsey Vonn coming back to alpine skiing wasn’t on the bucket list of many fans out there. Surely, she did give many hints about her return before, but it was still unexpected for a lot of the fanatics. The American alpine skier might not be at her full potential, but she still gave her best in her first race ever after so many years of staying out of the sport.

This time when Vonn wasn’t on the top step of the podium, there were many questions regarding her form on the return. However, rather than considering the race as a failure, she has her answers to her performance on her comeback race, and while she was candid about it, she feels more optimistic about her revisit to the professional side of the sport and an ambition heading into the future.

Filled up with aspirations

Lindsey Vonn placed 24th in a lower-level FIS downhill race on Saturday. This official race marked her return from retirement to compete professionally for the very first time since 2019. There were 43 races on the course, and the 40-year-old was just 1.44 seconds behind the winning time of 1:05.79 clocked by Austria’s Mirjam Puchner. The moment she crossed the finish line, a lot of emotions flowed inside her, as she had finally made the comeback to the sport she once adored the most. Apart from a tricky first race, she also finished 27th in the second.

Post-race, the American alpine skier took to her official X profile, stating, “Today was a solid start, and I had a blast being in start with my teammates again! 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, and the way I’m skiing is more important than the times at this point.”

Overall, it was a delight for her to at least finish the race after returning to the sport for a long time. She also acknowledged that there would be many speculations on her position among the fanbase, but she’s not concerned about it. Vonn clarified that this race was just the beginning of her new journey in alpine skiing, and she’s going through a ton of adjustments to make sure she will get back to her original form, when she used to dominate the scene, owing to her 82 World Cup wins.

“Now I have the fis points to race World Cup ✅ so that’s a successful day! Thanks to everyone who helped put on the races! Let’s do it again tomorrow! 🙌🏻💪🏻❤️“ Lindsey Vonn mentioned the goal she was chasing down in the comeback race. Every alpine skier needs certain points to race in the major World Cup races, and it was something that was also on the bucket list of the 40-year-old. While she ended up in a lot of positions behind a podium, she still earned enough points to make her eligible to race in the big events.

Vonn knows her potential, and as this is her comeback era in the sport, she is taking things slowly. This is also not the first time that the American was straight-up candid about her performance in the snow. A few days back, when she was training, she faced some bruises and highlighted the difficulties of the sport.

Lindsey Vonn’s tough training program

Before the downhill competition, Vonn’s journey to her training regimen was everything but easy. As the 40-year-old racer flew down the hill in a series of quick twists, her ski poles caught two of the flags, and she managed to bring down both gate flags with her poles. The shocks also caught her hands. So, to inform her fans, Vonn took to Instagram, stating, “For those of you asking about my arms, when I do this…”

Furthermore, she attached a picture of her bruised arm, which had a huge purple patch, stating, “This happens.” However, such kinds of impacts are nothing crazy for the athlete who has secured 82 World Cup wins to her name. She knows the challenges that she will be facing in her comeback journey, but those are something that she won’t be easily backing off from, as Lindsey Vonn has a ton of ambitions to chase even after all of the accolades she has in her stellar career.