After her heartbreaking crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, few would have expected Lindsey Vonn to return to alpine skiing again. But the skiing legend is leaving the door ajar, albeit slightly, for a possible return to the sport.
Regarded as one of the greatest skiers of all time, Vonn has enjoyed a glittering career in the sport. She has three Olympic medals, 84 World Cup wins, 16 discipline titles, and four overall titles to her name.
Lindsey Vonn Refuses To Rule Out Return to Skiing
Vonn has suffered and persevered through a laundry list of big injuries. The latest, of course, occurred in February when she suffered a complex tibia fracture on her return to the Winter Olympics stage. The 41-year-old had to undergo several surgeries and nearly had to have her leg amputated.
But even though her Olympic dream was shattered, Vonn is refusing to definitively rule out a return to skiing.
“It’s not a question of can I. I already have, you know? And I already retired for six years. I know what it’s like to not be a ski racer anymore. It’s just that ski racing is something I love to do. And I had so much fun this season that – and I never got to – I never got a final run,” Vonn said in an interview with TODAY’s Craig Melvin.
“I think it leaves a door slightly open to, I don’t know, maybe I would do one more race to say goodbye, or maybe I’ll race again. It might be fun to do one more run. We’ll see.”
Vonn made a stunning comeback to skiing in late 2024 after initially retiring in 2019. She delivered several strong performances in the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Olympics and was expected to be one of the medal contenders in the women’s downhill event.
The Minnesota native then ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on the eve of the Winter Olympics, but remained undeterred. However, a crash just seconds into her run ended her Olympic comeback, and she suffered a broken left leg, which required multiple surgeries.
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Now on the road to recovery, Vonn is undergoing extensive physical therapy. In the same interview, she revealed that she spends two hours in therapy and two hours in a hyperbaric chamber every day, in addition to time in the gym and other rehab measures.
It remains to be seen whether Vonn’s wish to return to skiing will come true. But as she has shown time and again throughout her career, Vonn will keep on fighting and never give up.
