The queen of the slopes is back! And her return to the Alpine Skiing World Cup after a five-year hiatus has been nothing short of remarkable. At 40, with a titanium knee and a fire in her heart, Lindsey Vonn silenced doubters with a stellar 14th-place finish in a Super G race at Corviglia in St. Moritz. And with her return to the icy realm, she proved that age and injuries can’t keep her down.

However, while the skiing legend is making waves on the slopes, her recent tropical getaway made a splash of its own. But unfortunately, it’s not for the reasons she might have hoped. Celebrating her return, Vonn traded snow for sand, spending time in a tropical paradise. Social media buzzed with her post featuring hot-pink swimwear, a white shirt, and, most importantly, an unusual ocean discovery — a massive, magnificent starfish.

Sharing her find with fans, she shared images on her official Instagram account and captioned the moment, “Stranger things have happened… ⭐.” In the pictures, she could be spotted holding the starfish with bare hands. The post, however, quickly turned into a battleground, with marine lovers and environmental activists accusing her of harming marine life by removing the starfish from the water. And before she could even realize it, the comment section of her Instagram post was bombarded with criticisms.

The backlash was swift, “Just because you take it back in the water he won’t be fine… the stress killed them just seconds or minutes out of water,” commented one Instagram user. Others resorted to calling her actions irresponsible, suggesting they could encourage a disregard for nature’s fragility. However, Vonn wasn’t about to let the critics have the last word that easy.

Addressing the controversy, she reassured her fans, writing, “The starfish is completely fine, folks.” Later, she doubled down on her defense, adding, “(W)ell I saw him a day later far down the beach, moving right along. He was doing great! 💪🏻” But, despite her efforts to calm the storm, the backlash persisted, with some claiming her actions set a harmful precedent.

While the debate raged on Instagram, Vonn appeared unfazed, shifting her focus back to skiing. As she jets off to her next adventure, this star of the slopes proves one thing for sure. That is, whether on icy peaks or sandy beaches, Lindsey Vonn knows how to keep the world talking. And this isn’t the only time she has resorted to answering back.

Lindsey Vonn shuts down haters and negativities following impressive return

Making her return to the Super G race in St. Moritz, Corviglia, Lindsey Vonn had quite a normal reception. She started unseeded, at 31st position, probably the first time in her life. However, letting go of her ego, Vonn showed tremendous resilience to shut her haters. After all, as the news of her comeback surfaced, there was a significant amount of uproar among the skiing community. 

Michaela Dorfmeister initially riled up the controversies asking, “Vonn should see a psychologist.” And she did not stop there. Dorfmeister also blatantly asked, “Does she want to kill herself?” Well, this was not the only scathing criticism coming Vonn’s way. Swiss skier Pirmin Zurbriggen was also not subtle about his dig at the Alpine skiing legend. The 61-year-old retired from the sport at 27 and questioned whether Vonn was well-accustomed to the risks involved with making a comeback at this age. 

However, Lindsey Vonn is not the one to sit back quietly. Lashing out at her critics, the 40-year-old made a bold statement. “You know, I’m getting pretty tired of people predicting negative things about my future. It’s enough now. Bernard, Sonja, and now Pirmin… is there a reason all former Swiss skiers think this way? Did they all become doctors and I missed it, because they talk like they know more than the best doctors in the world,” Vonn stated.

Thus, making an impressive return, the Alpine skiing queen has proved that legends are born to challenge the stereotypical norms while depositing them into oblivion.