Lindsey Vonn ahead of World Cup comeback at age 40: ‘I wouldn’t be doing it if it was a reckless idea’

(CNN) — Lindsey Vonn, at the age of 40, is preparing for her World Cup return at St. Moritz, Switzerland, this weekend after undergoing successful partial knee replacement surgery earlier this year – and she’s making waves doing it.

Vonn recently defended her return to the World Cup circuit. Responding to those in the skiing world who are questioning her comeback, Vonn, in a post on X, said, “You know, I’m getting pretty tired of people predicting negative things about my future. It’s enough now. … Did they all become doctors and I missed it, because they talk like they know more than the best doctors in the world.”

In an interview Thursday with Eurosport’s Viktoria Rebensburg, Vonn said, “I think that’s something that bothers me – is that people think that I’m taking more risks than anyone else. But I know downhill probably better than almost anyone out there.”

Vonn, who had retired from competitive skiing in 2019 after 18 years on the World Cup circuit, recently competed in lower-level events in Copper Mountain, Colorado, in order to gain eligibility to compete at World Cup races.

She will race in two super-G events in St. Moritz – where she has previously won five World Cup races and secured ten podiums – with one race on Saturday and the other on Sunday.

“Things haven’t changed now that I’ve had a knee replacement,” Vonn said to Eurosport, which is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which is the parent company of CNN.

“My doctors have cleared me. They are very confident in what I’m doing. I wouldn’t be doing it if it was a reckless idea.

“I think a lot of people have a lot of wild ideas about how crazy it is what I’m doing, but I’m not a dumb person.

“I’ve talked to the best doctors in the world, and they’ve cleared me to do this.”

At Vonn’s age, she would be entering unchartered territory should she reach the podium or win. In October, Federica Brignone became the oldest woman to win a World Cup race at 34 years, 104 days.

Johan Clarey has the record in men’s skiing for the oldest podium finisher at age 42.
Didier Cuche is the oldest men’s winner, at 37.

“I feel like I’m in my early 20s,” Vonn told Eurosport. “It feels great. It’s like a whole new world for me. My goals, I’m trying to take it step by step. I’m trying not to get ahead of myself. I know that it’s going to take a little time to get back into it.

“I know that I’m skiing well. But I haven’t raced in almost six years. It’s going to take a second. But I think I can get back to a similar level where I to what I was before.”

Vonn recently posted on Instagram that she’s rebuilding herself.

“Not just my knee, but as a person,” Vonn said in her post. “I am so stronger today than I ever was before. I believe in myself. No matter my age or my history. No matter what people may say, I am doing this for me. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I don’t need the spotlight or attention. I simply want to do something that brings me joy and to share that joy with my family, friends, team and all of you.

“I am not holding on to the past, I am embracing the future. Call me naive, but I believe in the impossible. Because it’s only impossible until someone does it.”

Vonn told Eurosport she thinks she’ll have another knee replacement “at some point in the future” because of her age, “but that would happen whether I skied or didn’t ski,” she said.

“Any time you’re skiing downhill, or honestly any alpine events, you always take a risk,” Vonn said. “It doesn’t matter who you are. Anything can happen. That’s the risk that we all take.”

Vonn’s haul of 82 World Cup wins puts her third on the all-time list behind Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark on 86 and compatriot Mikaela Shiffrin on 99.

But this isn’t about chasing Shiffrin, Vonn says.

“I’m not here to prove anything to anyone,” Vonn said. “I’m really happy with what I achieved in my career. I’m the No. 2 most successful women’s skier of all time. That’s perfectly fine with me.”

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