Is Lindsey Vonn Planning a World Cup Comeback?

Lindsey Vonn, the legendary ski racer with 5.4 million Instagram followers, has been dropping hints that have fans buzzing: Could a return to World Cup racing be in the works?

“It’s been an incredible past few weeks,” she posted recently. “Being back in the mountains is where I find so much joy. It’s my natural habitat…even if I hate being cold lol.”

Then she added, “Excited to share more 🔜.”

The ski legend, who turns 40 on Friday, had a knee replacement last spring and can finally live without ever-present pain. In a recent post from the gym, she shared, “Leveled up this summer and it’s paying off… can’t wait to get back to my happy place on the mountain.”

With posts like these, Vonn has sparked rumors. Is she planning a return to World Cup racing? Like Marcel Hirscher, Vonn could apply for a World Cup “Wild Card” spot. (Hirscher, 35, holds a record eight overall World Cup titles and retired in 2019.)

Why Lindsey Vonn Might Return to World Cup Ski Racing

According to FIS’s rulebook, a wild card can be granted to athletes who have won either a World Cup overall globe, an event globe (under the condition of a minimum of five World Cup victories), or an individual Olympic or world championship gold medal. Vonn certainly meets all those qualifications. Additionally, the wild card rule states, “The athlete who requests a Wild Card must be retired from the World Cup Tour for two or more years (Official FIS Retirement form and WADA date record), but not more than ten years.”

Once again, Vonn checks all the boxes.

Her team will only confirm that she “underwent a partial knee replacement in April. She has been recovering well since then and her knee feels incredible. She was cleared to ski and has begun a return to skiing progression.”

But is Vonn truly considering a World Cup return?

Vonn’s Knee: A Game Changer?

Before we dive into the possibility of a comeback, it’s essential to understand how Vonn’s knee surgery has transformed her ability to ski pain-free. Bedeviled by crashes and injuries during her 19-year-long World Cup career, Vonn’s knees took the brunt of the damage. She had “severe tri-compartment degeneration” in her right knee, with the lateral compartment causing the most pain. In July 2023, she had surgery in an attempt to hold off knee replacement.

“But I got to the point where it was too much, and my knee could not handle doing the things I love to do,” she wrote on Instagram on April 9, 2024, the day of her knee replacement surgery.

Vonn soon rehabbed her new knee and was back in the gym, ramping up her workouts. This fall, she was back on snow, skiing in New Zealand.

Why a Comeback Might Appeal to Vonn

Vonn retired from ski racing after the 2019 world championships, not because she wanted to, but because she was constantly in pain.

“It’s been an emotional two weeks making the hardest decision of my life, but I have accepted that I cannot continue ski racing,” she posted on Instagram at the time.

She wasn’t upset about retiring, but what troubled her was not reaching her goal of equaling or surpassing Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 86 World Cup wins.

“However, I can look back at 82 World Cup wins, 20 World Cup titles, 3 Olympic medals, 7 World Championship medals and say that I have accomplished something that no other woman in HISTORY has ever done, and that is something that I will be proud of FOREVER!” she added in the same Instagram post.

Since then, Mikaela Shiffrin has raised the World Cup win record to 97 (and counting). While Vonn would be hard-pressed to catch Shiffrin, returning to the World Cup to retire on her terms would give Vonn some closure.

Even more enticing, the women finally get to race a World Cup downhill and super-G on Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey course—where Vonn won bronze in super-G at the 2015 world championships. And next winter, Cortina is hosting the women’s alpine events at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Vonn scored her first World Cup podium on Cortina’s Tofana downhill course and broke the women’s World Cup win record there in 2017. Over her career, Vonn won 12 downhills and super-G races at Cortina.

As Vonn wrote in her book Rise, she has always been motivated by doubters. A return to World Cup racing would not be a complete surprise.

Is Lindsey Vonn Just Enjoying Skiing Without Pain?

Or is it more likely that Vonn is simply happy to be back enjoying the slopes without pain in her knee?

If we closely follow her Instagram posts from the summer, Vonn is thrilled to be leading the active lifestyle that she has always dreamed about—playing tennis, riding her bike, and even surf foiling without debilitating pain. And in late August, she announced that she would be skiing with guests at the private Three Forks Ranch resort in Wyoming for two weeks in late February and early March—not exactly the kind of commitment someone would make if the World Cup tour were on her radar.

Earlier this week, Vonn posted from New Zealand: “With this new knee that is now a part of me… I feel like a whole new chapter of my life is unfolding before my eyes. My adventurous spirit feels full of gratitude. To do the things you love to do is truly a blessing and I don’t take it for granted.”

While we may be reading too much into her posts, she concluded, “I don’t know exactly what lies ahead, but I know I’m healthy, happy, and grateful.”

The Verdict

Though Vonn certainly has the credentials to qualify for a World Cup wild card, returning to the circuit after five years would present significant challenges. Not only would she face competition from younger racers, but regaining top-level fitness after multiple knee surgeries could be a hurdle. Still, if anyone has the determination and grit to do it, it’s Lindsey Vonn.

What do you think? Could Lindsey Vonn be gearing up for one last World Cup race? Stay tuned for more updates from SKI.