Lindsay Vonn, the legendary ski racer with 5.4 million Instagram followers, is dropping hints that have fans buzzing: Could a return to World Cup racing be in the works?
“It’s been an incredible last few weeks,” he recently posted. “I am very happy to be back in the mountains. It’s my natural habitat…even if I hate being cold hahahaha.”
He then added, “Excited to share more 🔜.”
The ski legend, who turns 40 on Friday, had a knee replacement last spring and can finally live without pain forever. In a recent post from Jim, he shared, “Stepped up this summer and it’s paying off… Can’t wait to get back to my happy place in the mountains.”
With posts like these, Vaughan spread rumors. Is he planning to return to the World Cup race? Like Marcel Hirscher, Vonn could apply for a World Cup “wild card” spot. (Hirscher, 35, holds a record eight overall World Cup titles and retired in 2019.)
Why Lindsay Vonn could return to World Cup ski racing
According to the FIS rulebook, a wild card can be awarded to athletes who have won a World Cup overall globe, an event globe (provided a minimum of five World Cup wins) or an individual Olympic or World Championship gold medal. Vaughan certainly meets all those qualifications. Additionally, the wild card rules state, “An athlete requesting a wild card must be retired from the World Cup tour for two or more years (official FIS retirement form and WADA date record), but not more than ten years.”
Again, Vaughan checks all the boxes.
His team would only confirm that he “had a partial knee replacement in April. Since then he’s been on the mend and his knee feels incredible. He was cleared to ski and is starting to get back into skiing progression.”
But is Vaughn really thinking about returning to the World Cup?
Von’s Knee: A Game Changer?
Before we dive into the possibility of a comeback, it’s essential to understand how Vonn’s knee surgery transformed her ability to ski pain-free. Vonn’s knees were damaged by crashes and injuries throughout her 19-year World Cup career. He had “acute tri-compartment degeneration” of his right knee, with the most pain in the lateral compartment. In July 2023, he underwent surgery in an attempt to put off a knee replacement.
“But I got to the point where it was too much, and my knee couldn’t do the things I like to do,” she wrote on Instagram on April 9, 2024, the day of her knee replacement surgery.
Vonn soon rehabbed her new knee and returned to the gym, increasing her workouts. This fall, he was back on the ice, skiing in New Zealand.
Why a comeback might appeal to Vaughan
Vonn retired from ski racing after the 2019 World Championships, not because she wanted to, but because she was in constant pain.
“It’s been an emotional two weeks making the hardest decision of my life, but I’ve accepted that I can’t continue ski racing,” he posted on Instagram at the time.
He wasn’t upset about retiring, but what bothered him was not reaching his goal of equaling or surpassing Ingmar Stenmark’s record 86 World Cup wins.
“However, I can look back at 82 World Cup wins, 20 World Cup titles, 3 Olympic medals, 7 World Championship medals and say that I have achieved something that no other woman in history has ever done and it is something that I will do. Forever proud!” she added in the same Instagram post.
Since then, Mikaela Shiffrin has extended her World Cup wins record to 97 (and counting). While Vonn will be hard-pressed to catch Shiffrin, returning to the World Cup to retire on his terms will give Vonn some closure.
More tantalizingly, the women could finally race in a World Cup downhill and super-G at Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey course—where Vonn won bronze in super-G at the 2015 world championships. And next winter, Cortina is hosting the women’s alpine events at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Von Cortina scored her first World Cup stage on the Tofana downhill course and broke the women’s World Cup win record there in 2017. In his career, Vonn won 12 downhill and super-G races at Cortina.
As Vaughn writes in his book rise upHe has always been motivated by doubters. A return to the World Cup race wouldn’t be a complete surprise.
Is Lindsay Vonn just enjoying skiing without the pain?
Or is it possible that Vonn is happy to be back enjoying the slopes without pain in his knee?
If we’ve been following her Instagram posts closely since the summer, Vonn is thrilled to be leading the active lifestyle she’s always dreamed of — playing tennis, riding her bike, and even surfing without debilitating pain. And in late August, he announced he would be skiing with guests at his private Three Forks Ranch resort in Wyoming for two weeks in late February and early March—not exactly the kind of commitment one would make if the World Cup tour was with him. Radar
Earlier this week, Vonn posted from New Zealand: “With this new knee that is now a part of me… I feel like a whole new chapter of my life is unfolding before my eyes. My adventurous spirit is full of gratitude. Doing the things you love is truly a blessing and I don’t take that for granted.”
Although we’re reading too much into her posts, she concludes, “I don’t know exactly what lies ahead, but I do know I’m healthy, happy and grateful.”
judgment
While Vonn certainly has the credentials to qualify for a World Cup wild card, returning to the circuit after five years will face significant challenges. Not only will he face competition from younger racers, regaining top-level fitness after multiple knee surgeries can be a hurdle. Still, if anyone has the determination and grit to do it, it’s Lindsay Vonn.
What do you think? Is Lindsay Vonn preparing for one last World Cup run? Stay tuned for more updates from SKI.