Lindsey Vonn is returning to professional skiing.
On Thursday, U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced that Vonn is coming out of retirement and rejoining the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. The announcement comes 20 years after Vonn’s first World Cup victory.
“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. “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.”
Injuries led to Vonn’s retirement in 2019, but she underwent partial knee surgery in April and has since returned to training.
“Getting back to skiing without pain has been an incredible journey,” Vonn 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 three-time Olympic medalist has been testing “her knee over the past couple of months and will be continuing her progression with the Stifel U.S. Ski Team in Colorado and beyond,” according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
In her 18-year career, Vonn won 20 World Cup titles and eight World Championship medals. She set the record for most World Cup victories by a woman with 82, and the record stood until January 2023 when fellow American Mikaela Shiffrin broke it, according to The Associated Press. Shiffrin currently has 97 wins.
Lindsey Vonn and the 2034 Olympics
Vonn has been keeping busy in retirement with her Lindsey Vonn Foundation, which empowers and supports underserved girls.
She has also joined David Blitzer and Ryan Smith in the Utah Royals ownership group. Vonn was on hand for the Royals’ season opener in March — the team’s first game back in the NWSL since 2020 — and announced her foundation would send 25 underserved girls to every Royals home match, the Deseret News previously reported.
Vonn was involved in Utah’s successful bid to host the 2034 Winter Games as the bid’s chief of athlete experience. She traveled to Paris with the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games this summer for the final pitch.
Utah hosting the Olympics again is special for Vonn. She made her Olympic debut in 2002 when Utah last hosted the Olympics.
“It was the only Olympics that every single member of my family was in attendance,” Vonn told the Deseret News in July.
Vonn helped come up with the idea for the Olympics’ first Athlete Family Village, which will “provide accommodations, access to tickets and other assistance to support family members who want to be in Utah to see their loved ones compete,” the Deseret News previously reported.
Having her mom at every Olympics and the support she was able to provide was crucial for Vonn.
“I just think it’s so important and it means so much to have them there and that why I am so passionate about making this family village,” she said.