Winning 82 world cup races along with 2 World Championship gold and an Olympic gold is no child’s play. However, for Lindsey Vonn, winning a World Cup was just another normal day at the office during her prime. Unfortunately, just like all good things, Vonn’s dominance in the snow also came to an end. Back in 2019, Vonn had a DNF tag next to her name at the Cortina d’Ampezzo. Being the champion she is, Vonn immediately tried to address the issue and came back to Sweden. Unfortunately, Vonn faltered once again as she took the third position. 

Sadly, that was the last time the world witnessed Lindsey Vonn’s magic in the snow. Well, that was until a shocking announcement made the skiing world berserk. Fast forward to 2024, five years after her retirement, Lindsey Vonn announced her comeback to the sport! Ignoring the five-year hiatus, Vonn is confident of her chances at yet another World Cup ski race. And she has already made ripples with her latest run on the snow. Taking to her Instagram, Vonn expressed her excitement after competing in her first World Cup race after a while. She wrote, “I’m officially BACK!! It’s been 2,162 days since my last World Cup race (almost 6 years!) but yesterday I got back in the starting gate and competed once again. I finished 14th, which was a perfect place to start. This is only the beginning though, and I’m looking forward to all of the adventures that lie ahead.”

Coming back after almost 6 years, Vonn entered the St. Moritz World Cup’s Super-G race. Clocking a remarkable time of 1:16.36, Vonn clinched the 14th position to awe the skiing community further. What was even more impressive was the fact that Vonn’s timing was just 1.18s short of Cornelia Huetter, who went on to win the race eventually. 

Surely, this is some promising news for Vonn and her fans. After all, getting right back into the top 20 is not a matter of joke. But wait, that’s not it! Vonn had more exciting news for her supporters. Announcing her future plans, the Alpine skiing queen 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.”

Now, while Vonn has made her return in shining glory, most people doubt her chances. After all, a 40-year-old Vonn might find it hard to keep up against the younger opponents. When asked about the same by Cara Banks in an NBC Olympics and Paralympics exclusive, Vonn shrugged off the concerns. She mentioned that there were absolutely no problems with her tackling her younger competitors. 

She detailed that during the lead-up to her return, Vonn has gone through a rigorous training process. Here, she has faced off against the top 10, 20, and 30 skiers to get herself accustomed to the high-paced scenario of modern skiing. Meanwhile, Lindsey Vonn’s impressive return seems to have rang a bell in everyone’s mind. While the fans flocked in to congratulate, the likes of Novak Djokovic and Michael Phelps too, could not help but bow down to the alpine skiing queen. 

Novak Djokovic & Michael Phelps laud Lindsey Vonn’s exciting comeback

The praises just don’t seem to be stopping for Lindsey Vonn. Appreciating her grit and determination to make a comeback at such an advanced age for the sport, legends from other sporting disciplines could not help but give her the flowers. 

To celebrate such a major feat achieved by the skiing legend at the age of 40, tennis sensation Novak Djokovic voiced his support for the star who is truly proving with all her power that age is just a number. “Let’s go Lindsey”, wrote Djokovic in the comment section. After achieving such a legendary status, Vonn chose to make a comeback again from her retirement after a long gap of more than 5 years. Moreover, displaying her phenomenal grit, she stated to EuroSport, “…there’s definitely a lot I have left to give”.

Another Olympic legend who himself flaunts 28 Olympic medals did not hold back from expressing his joy in watching Vonn rule the icy realms yet again. Michael Phelps, who has been supporting Vonn’s comeback after the long gap, enthusiastically took to the comment section and mentioned, “I. Love. It!! Congrats friend!”.

International sports icon and equality champion Billie Jean King also highlighted how Vonn’s comeback, indomitable spirit, and shining career have become the reason for pride for all her well-wishers who have known her and watched her flourish. Jean King commented, “Proud of you!”. After the setback she had to face due to the series of injuries, she was compelled to announce her retirement back in 2019. But she chose to come back to the icy slopes yet again to prove that even after securing 8 World Championships medals and 3 Olympic medals, she has a lot more to achieve from the competitive sphere.

Tina Maze, who herself is a legend of the sport and has won 4 Olympic medals for Slovenia, expressed her excitement about watching Vonn compete after almost 6 long years. Maze, who is the most decorated Slovenian Winter Olympian, added, “Loved the finish line”. After her comeback race, Vonn stated, “I really wanted to get to the finish today and be solid. I didn’t want to risk too much…I think this is the perfect start and I look forward to trying to improve every race”.

Austrian World Cup Alpine ski racer Nina Ortlieb also joined the list of Olympians showering support to Lindsey Vonn. Ortlieb wrote, “You can be so proud”. The most decorated US female track and field athlete Allyson Felix also went to the comment section and joined Vonn’s flock of fans to greet her back to the competitive sphere. “Welcome back!!!”, wrote Felix. The official Instagram handle of the Olympics too bowed to the queen as they added, “[2x hands up emoji]”

Thus, Lindsey Vonn is truly back. It will now be interesting to see whether she can create her previous magic one more time and win a World Cup race again to make the skiing community blow up with excitement and admiration.