In a CNN Sports exclusive interview, American skier Lindsey Vonn said that she has proved to herself – and her doubters – that she deserves to be back on the World Cup circuit after taking her first podium since coming out of retirement.
The 40-year-old came second in the super-G at the World Cup finals in March to become the oldest female Alpine skier to make the podium of a World Cup race – by six years.
It was Vonn’s first World Cup podium finish since March 15, 2018 when she placed third in the super-G in Åre, Sweden.
Vonn retired from skiing in February 2019 but announced last year she would be returning to the sport after undergoing a successful partial knee replacement in April 2024.
It’s fair to say even Vonn didn’t think she would return to this level of skiing.
“Never in a million years would I have ever expected to be back here,” she said speaking at the recent Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid. “I mean, when I saw you last, it was emotional because I was ending my career and that was it.
“That was the end, and I definitely wish that it hadn’t been the end because I love skiing and it’s always been my passion since I was a kid, but my body was no longer cooperating.
“Thankfully with this partial knee replacement, now I’m lucky enough to have the chance again – and, hopefully, another Olympics next year.”
Stepping onto that podium was a sliding doors moment in Vonn’s return to the sport she still loves so much.
She admitted there were doubts in her own mind about her decision to make a comeback during a brutal season. Vonn said she weighed 20 pounds less than her previous competition weight, wasn’t “nearly as strong as I was before” and had to deal with new equipment, coaches and trainers.
At times, Vonn admitted the challenges thrown at her felt “insurmountable” and said “it is hard to quantify” just how important getting back onto the podium was for her belief.
“I think that it changes everything,” she explained to CNN. “I think there are a lot of people that thought that I would never be back and I would never be successful again – and I think that I proved to myself, and to them, that I still deserve to be here, no matter if I will be 41 at the next Olympics.
“I cried. I think that (podium) was the hardest I’ve ever cried after a race because it just was so emotional and it meant so much to me – and, actually, I’m going to put it next to my Olympic medal because that’s how much it means to me.
“I’ve never had so many different variables in one season, and I felt like every weekend it was something new, some new challenge was just being thrown at me. And sometimes, I felt like I was beat down and it was hard to find the motivation because I was doing this because I love ski racing, but at times this season, it felt like it was insurmountable.”
Even after so many years away from the sport, Vonn said skiing after her comeback still “feels exactly the same.” Her vast experience and knowledge of the tracks, she explained to CNN Sports, helps level the playing field against competitors “half my age” that would enjoy a physical advantage over the quadragenarian skier.
Initially, Vonn said she wasn’t skiing to “prove anything to anybody” but that changed when she heard “so many negative voices from my peers” during the season.
“That really hurt me and, by the end, I knew that I could do it for myself, but I also wanted to prove it for every 40 year old woman you know that we are not defined by our age,” Vonn said.
“We’re defined by our ability and our work ethic, and I worked as hard as I could to be back to where I got to, and that’s why I felt like I needed to do it to prove to women that we could.
“I love the sport. Like nothing will change it no matter what I do. From the time I was seven years old and I started racing, it’s always been the thing that I just feel the most alive doing.”
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
