Olympic skiing champion Lindsey Vonn has revealed she feels "excited" to experience her first Winter Games as a single athlete, marking a significant personal milestone as she prepares for a remarkable competitive return in Italy next month.
A Triumphant Return After Major Surgery
The 41-year-old skiing icon made her comeback to professional slopes last season following a partial knee replacement procedure that finally allowed her to straighten her leg properly for the first time in ten years. This surgical intervention ended years of debilitating pain that had plagued her career.
Vonn has quickly demonstrated the championship form that earned her Olympic gold medal status and four overall World Cup titles during her previous dominance of the sport. This season alone, she has secured two World Cup downhill victories, bringing her extraordinary career total to 84 World Cup wins.
Newfound Freedom and Focus
"I have never been single going into any Olympics in my life," Vonn explained in a recent interview with SELF.com. "So I'm excited to try that out. It's been really nice to just be focused on myself."
This represents a substantial shift for the athlete whose personal life has often captured public attention alongside her sporting achievements. Previously married to fellow skier Thomas Vonn from 2007 to 2013, she was later engaged to hockey star P.K. Subban until their separation in 2020, and also had a well-documented relationship with golf legend Tiger Woods.
Coach's Confidence in Enhanced Abilities
Vonn's coach, Olympic champion Aksel Lund Svindal, has issued a warning to her competitors in Milan-Cortina, stating that the skier is now "strong" and "technically better" than before her initial retirement in 2019. This assessment comes despite Vonn's age and the significant knee surgery she has undergone.
The athlete herself describes her surgical outcome as having "couldn't have gone better," explaining that the successful procedure opened the door to her competitive return after a two-year search for an effective solution to her chronic knee issues.
Clear Perspective on Final Olympic Chapter
Despite her impressive current form and genuine medal potential in Italy, Vonn has confirmed this will represent her final Olympic appearance. "No, no, no. That's all she wrote," she stated definitively. "This is 24 years after my first Olympics. I've won everything I could have ever won."
She emphasized that her motivation differs from earlier career phases: "I'm not doing this to prove anything to anyone. I'm doing this because I think I can do well, it's a meaningful place for me, and I think I can make a positive impact... But I don't have to."
Wisdom Gained Through Experience
Vonn believes her accumulated experience provides a competitive advantage as she approaches these final races. "I'm going to stand on the starting gate with a lot of clarity, and a lot of perspective, and a lot of wisdom and knowledge that you don't have when you're younger," she reflected.
"I think my age in this scenario is an advantage, and I'm gonna use that to the best of my ability," Vonn added, highlighting how her maturity informs her approach to this culminating chapter of her storied career.
Since initially retiring in 2019, Vonn has maintained an active lifestyle through investment fund advisory roles, charitable initiatives, and quality time with her dogs and close friends. Her decision to return to the demanding training regimen, strict dietary requirements, and intense competition schedule underscores her enduring passion for alpine skiing and her desire to conclude her Olympic journey on her own terms.
