COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. – Lindsey Vonn is still getting her ski equipment dialed in and getting used to going full speed again on her new titanium knee.
That's why all that the 40-year-old is reading into being more than two seconds behind in a pair of lower-level super-G races on Sunday is that she's right there. This after nearly six years away from ski racing and only an abbreviated prep period.
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"I know it seems like I’m far away, but I’m actually really freaking close for only having run a few days of training after basically six years,” Vonn said in an interview with The Associated Press after a series of lower-level downhill and super-G races over the weekend at Copper Mountain. “I honestly never thought I’d be back in this position.”
Vonn isn't coming out of retirement as part of some sort of feel-good story. Her return is simply about proving something to one person.
"I’m doing this 100% for myself,” the three-time Olympic medalist said. “I’m having a blast. The response I’ve gotten from everyone has been really overwhelming in a very positive way. But I’m just living my life, not doing it for anyone but myself. There are no records I need to think about. That’s passed. I’m just happy to be here.”
Vonn finished 24th and 19th in two super-G races Sunday as she tinkers with the settings on her skis and boots. She was 2.19 seconds behind in the first race and 2.06 in the second. Both were won by her American teammate Lauren Macuga.
The question that's hovering: Why come back at 40?
“Why not? I feel great,” Vonn said. “I mean, I do double sessions. I’ve been doing a load that I haven’t done since my early 20s. So I don’t feel my age. My teammates don’t treat me like I’m any older, so nothing feels different to me."
Vonn’s last major race was in February 2019 — a third-place finish in a downhill during the world championships in Sweden. She left the tour still skiing fast, but an assortment of injuries including to her knee took too big a toll and sent her into retirement.
She had a partial knee replacement last April.
“I didn’t come out of surgery thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to do a comeback,’” Vonn said. “I just came out of surgery thinking: ‘Oh, my God, I have no pain. How much can I do? Let’s see what this titanium knee is capable of.’ That’s what I’m doing.”
Vonn finished in the middle of the pack in two downhill events Saturday. It was against a competitive field, too, with several Olympic medalists and World Cup winners in the mix.
Vonn said she now has enough points to enter a World Cup competition. But not in time to race next weekend when the women’s World Cup circuit heads to nearby Beaver Creek for a downhill and super-G.
“When you come back out of retirement, there are a lot of rules that I found out about,” said Vonn, mentioning being back in the drug-testing pool for the World Anti-Doping Agency and the United States Anti-Doping Agency. “When I'm ready, I am now qualified to race World Cup.”
For Vonn, it’s about taking a slow and steady approach to getting faster and faster.
“I’m loving every single second, but I’m not out here just for fun,” she said. “I’m working hard for a reason. I’ve had a couple sessions at 3:45 in the morning. There’s nothing I would wake up early for except ski racing.”
Vonn left the tour with 82 World Cup wins, which was the record for a woman at the time and within reach of the all-time Alpine mark of 86 held by Swedish standout Ingemar Stenmark. The women's record held by Vonn was eclipsed in January 2023 by Mikaela Shiffrin, who now has 99 wins — more than any Alpine ski racer in the history of the sport.
Shiffrin is currently recovering from a crash in a giant slalom event in Killington, Vermont, last weekend. She sustained muscle trauma and an abdominal puncture wound but no ligament damage. She won’t take part in the Beaver Creek races.
After the super-G races Sunday, Vonn was greeted by young ski racers. She signed numerous helmets and jackets, along with posing for pictures.
“Just being out there with my teammates, and everyone cheering me at this little FIS race in Copper was just pretty cool,” Vonn said. “Even though this race is just for points and I'm using it as training, it still means a lot to me. It was a blast.”
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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing