‘Everyone Was Telling Me I Needed a Full Knee Replacement’ — Lindsey Vonn Reveals How Surgery Reignited Her Olympic Dream

Lindsey Vonn, the American alpine ski racing icon, shattered expectations this season with a string of World Cup victories and podium finishes, securing her spot at the Milan Winter Olympics. At 41, Vonn returned to the slopes last season after a 2019 retirement forced by relentless injuries. Her remarkable comeback was fueled by a partial knee replacement in April 2024, a procedure that finally freed her from years of chronic pain.

Vonn was preparing to make her fifth Olympic appearance in Milan. She currently has three medals at the Games overall, winning one gold in downhill (Vancouver 2010) and two bronzes in super-G (Vancouver 2010) and downhill (PyeongChang 2018).

Lindsey Vonn on Her Comeback

Last season, Vonn rewrote the record books as the oldest woman to claim a World Cup podium, seizing second place in the super-G at the Sun Valley finals on March 23, 2025, at age 40. This year, she soared even higher, capturing a landmark downhill victory in St. Moritz on Dec. 12, 2025, at 41, and becoming the oldest World Cup race winner in history.

In an interview with ESPN, Vonn spoke about her chronic knee issues and how her surgery helped her push beyond her own expectations:

“When I retired, everyone was telling me I needed a full knee replacement. And the partial seemed like the best solution. It wasn’t that long after surgery that I realized that my knee was completely different, in such a great way. And so I just started to try things that bothered me before, and every time I tried something, and I was kinda waiting for the ball to drop, but it never did.” she said.

Vonn’s most recent World Cup downhill race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Jan. 30, 2026, ended in heartbreak when she injured her left knee after a dramatic crash into the safety nets. This setback looms large, arriving just a week before the Milan Games are set to begin.

Vonn Says Olympic Dream Is Not Over

Before her crash in Switzerland, Vonn was in top form at the World Cup races in Tarvisio, seizing second in the Super G and third in the Downhill. Fellow Americans Keely Cashman and Breezy Johnson also impressed, finishing fifth in the Super G and sixth in the Downhill, respectively.

After her crash, Vonn took to Instagram to release a statement, saying that her “Olympic dream is not over.” She also said that she will release more information on the injury when she can.

Alpine skiing at the Milan Olympics is scheduled to run from Feb. 7 to 18, with women’s downhill on Feb. 8 and the Super-G on Feb. 12.