American alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, who retired in 2019, has indicated she is not ruling out a return to competition at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.[1][2]
Vonn holds the record for most World Cup wins by a woman with 82 victories.[3] Her Olympic record includes gold in the super-G at the 2010 Vancouver Games, as well as bronze medals in the downhill at Vancouver 2010 and PyeongChang 2018.[4]
She also secured two gold medals at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships: downhill in 2009 and super combined in 2011.[3]
The Milan-Cortina Olympics are scheduled for February 6-22, 2026, with alpine skiing events hosted at the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.[5][6]
The women's downhill - one of Vonn's signature events - is set for February 8, following training sessions on February 6 and 7.[6]
In recent interviews, Vonn expressed reluctance to rule out a comeback entirely. "I’m not 100 percent ruling it out," she told People magazine, adding it would require significant preparation.[1]
Vonn retired in February 2019 after sustaining injuries in a crash during the downhill at the world championships in Åre, Sweden.[7]
Sources
- People, "Lindsey Vonn Says She's 'Not 100% Ruling Out' a 2026 Olympics Comeback (Exclusive)", October 30, 2023, https://people.com/lindsey-vonn-says-not-100-percent-ruling-out-2026-olympics-comeback-exclusive-8412195
- Sports Illustrated, "Lindsey Vonn Hints At Possible 2026 Olympic Comeback", October 25, 2023, https://www.si.com/fannation/skiing/news/lindsey-vonn-hints-at-2026-olympic-comeback
- FIS-Ski.com, "Lindsey VONN - Athlete Information", accessed October 2024, https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/athlete-biography.html?sectorcode=AL&competitorid=102130
- Olympics.com, "Lindsey Vonn", https://olympics.com/en/athletes/lindsey-vonn
- Olympics.com, "Milano Cortina 2026", https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/milano-cortina-2026/
- Olympics.com, "Milano Cortina 2026 detailed competition programme unveiled", December 6, 2023, https://olympics.com/en/news/milano-cortina-2026-detailed-competition-programme-olympics-paralympics
- Reuters, "Skiing-Vonn retires after crash at world championships", February 15, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alpine-skiing-worlds-vonn-idUSKCN1Q72G7/
