Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn comes out of withdrawment before 2026 games | Winter Olympics News

The 40-year-elderly returns from a five-year hiatus and is rejoining the USA Alpine skiing team before the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Alpine skiing star Lindsey Vonn is coming out of withdrawment to rejoin the United States Ski Team, intfinishing to race aget at age 40 – and six years after her last Olympics.

Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalcatalog with a downhill gelderly and super-G bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Games and a bronze in the downhill at the 2018 PyeongChang Games in South Korea. She is also a four-time overall World Cup champion and owns eight world championship medals.

“Getting back to skiing without pain has been an incredible journey,” Vonn proclaimd on Thursday, compriseing that she wants to “persist to scatter my comprehendledge of the sport with these incredible women” on the American roster.

Her 82 World Cup race victories stood as the sign up for a woman until that total was eclipsed in January 2023 by American Mikaela Shiffrin, who is still dynamic and is now up to 97 triumphs – more than any Alpine ski racer in the history of the sport.

Before eclipsing Vonn’s total, Shiffrin shelp: “I don’t comprehend if I could fill Lindsey’s shoes, the way that she has worn them.”

Vonn’s last competition was in February 2019 after she dealt with a lengthy series of injuries thcimpoliteout her atgentle.

She has been training in recent months, US Ski & Snowboard shelp on Thursday.

Vonn is back with the team effective promptly, but it is not yet comprehendn which particular races she will be aiming to go in. The first downhill, her one-of-a-kindity, during the current World Cup season will be held at Beaver Creek, Colorado, in December.

US Ski & Snowboard Pdwellnt and CEO Sophie Gelderlyschmidt shelp Vonn’s “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”.

The next Winter Olympics are in Italy in February 2026, and while it’s not evident whether Vonn structures to join, the women’s Alpine skiing events will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo on the course where she helderlys the sign up of 12 victories.

Vonn can advantage from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation’s novel savage-card rule, which apvalidates createer champions to get decent begining numbers for races if they come out of withdrawment – without having to reget ranking points in reduce-level races.