Lindsey Vonn last raced six years back. Trying to extend her winning run to 83 World Cups, fans were shocked to see a DNF tag next to her name at the 2019 Cortina D’Ampezzo. Although she tried to gain her form back in Sweden, a third-place finish meant that the alpine skiing queen hung up her boots after a whopping 82 World Cup wins, 2 World Championships, and an Olympic gold medal. Now, a major reason for the dip in her form was the constant suffering in her knees. 

With her pain getting worse with each passing day, Vonn had no other option than to opt out of the sport. However, being the champion that the 40-year-old is, she constantly searches for ways to claw her way back in. And soon, she found one. Undergoing a titanium knee replacement, Vonn is now more than happy to feel relieved from the pain. In fact, Vonn has been so happy about the procedure, that she is sure that it would be a new trendsetter. Unfortunately, a veteran physician begs to differ with Vonn’s assumption. 

Head physician of the Italian Winter Sports Federation, Andrea Panzeri, has a contrasting take on the matter. Panzeri did agree that performing a knee replacement on a young patient like Vonn was certainly a new thing. This was because such surgeries were only common in patients above the age of 50. However, unlike Vonn, Panzeri does not think that it would be a revolutionary practice. “Partial prosthetics, like the half-knee ones, are definitely the ones that offer the best performance and we’re seeing that (with Vonn)… I don’t think her decision is going to change pro sports. But it could provide more motivation for so-called ‘normal’ people to try a prosthetic,” Panzeri said. 

Now, this is quite in contrast to what Vonn has to say. Back in April, the legendary skier underwent a robot-assisted surgery on her knees. The procedure was complex and the entire operation was aptly executed under the guidance of Martin Roche. During the process, a small portion of bone was cut off from Vonn’s right knee. It was then replaced by a couple of titanium pieces that made her feel comfortable and relieved her pain significantly. 

Elated about the outcome, Vonn stated that her latest procedure would surely be a game changer. “I’ve talked to a lot of skiers already about it and I really think that it could be something that should be considered,” said Vonn. Meanwhile, despite her claims getting somewhat debunked, that should not bother Vonn much. After all, she has successfully made her return to the snow. 

Lindsey Vonn updates her next stop after making an impressive return

Lindsey Vonn made her comeback after almost a gap of 6 years at the St. Moritz World Cup’s Super-G race. With a lot of concerns about her performance, Vonn proved everybody wrong. She clocked an impressive time of 1:16.36s, to finish 14th. Falling just 1.18s short of the first-placed Cornelia Huetter, Vonn’s race was one of the biggest feel-good moments for her fans. However, with the festive season kicking in, Vonn would be taking a temporary time off. 

Revealing her future plans, the skiing legend stated, “We will get some training in over the break and come back strong in the new year to@stantonamarlberg for the next Downhill and SG on the race calendar.” However, despite all her efforts to get back, one thing has been bothering her fans. How will a 40-year-old Vonn fare against her younger competitors? 

But the skier has her bases covered. Speaking with Cara Banks of NBC Olympics and Paralympics, Vonn detailed that she has gone through a rigorous training process. What’s more, the 40-year-old also claimed to have competed against athletes who are in the top 10, 20, and 30 rankings. Thus, with things looking quite bright, it remains to be seen how things pan out for Lindsey Vonn in the future.