Lindsey Vonn ends five-year retirement, returns to US Ski Team in surprise post-injury comeback

Lindsey Vonn is getting back to work.

In a surprise development, the gold-winning Olympian has ended her five-year retirement and returned to the U.S. Ski Team, she announced Thursday.

Her comeback follows numerous injuries and surgeries, including a partial knee replacement in April.

Vonn, who last competed at the Winter Olympics in 2018, returned to training in recent months and has tested out her knee after the surgery, U.S. Ski and Snowboard said.

“Getting back to skiing without pain has been an incredible journey,” Vonn, 40, said in a statement. “I am looking forward to being back with the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and to continue to share my knowledge of the sport with these incredible women.”

The announcement does not specify which events Vonn plans to compete in, but the Alpine Ski World Cup’s 2024-25 season began last month, with the first downhill event scheduled for Dec. 6 in Beaver Creek, Colo.

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy are a little over a year away.

Vonn competed in four Olympics from 2002-18, winning the downhill gold and the Super-G bronze in 2010 and the downhill bronze in 2018. Vonn, who hails from Saint Paul, Minn., remains the only American woman to win gold in the downhill competition.

She also boasts four overall World Cup championships and 82 World Cup race victories.

But injuries have repeatedly derailed Vonn’s decorated career. Among her ailments were multiple right knee issues, including a torn ACL in 2013. She did not compete in the 2014 Olympics due to that troublesome knee.

Vonn’s last competition came in 2019, and she retired that year.

“Lindsey has made an indelible mark on alpine skiing and our organization throughout her career. We’re delighted to welcome her back,” Sophie Goldschmidt, the president and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, said in a statement Thursday.

“Her dedication and passion towards alpine skiing is inspiring and we’re excited to have her back on snow and see where she can go from here.”

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