When Lindsey Vonn announced her return to professional skiing at the age of 40, the response was far from welcoming. Two-time Olympic champion Michaela Dorfmeister said that “Vonn should see a psychologist,” even questioning, “Does she want to kill herself?” Vonn, on the other hand, wasted little time in proving the doubters wrong, and support has been flooding in from all corners.

Shaun White, her fellow American who has won three Olympic gold medals and retired after the Beijing 2022 Games, had nothing but praise for Vonn’s comeback journey.

“I mean, I love it. Look at me, I’m so happy for her. You know, it’s one thing to, you know, make a comeback and be doing all right, but she’s made this comeback, and she is hitting the podium. She’s winning competitions. That’s just the dream,” he said enthusiastically.

Lindsey Vonn has competed in eight races this season, and has been on seven podiums – almost a podium per race. It isn’t often you see a a 41 year old skier go up against competitors almost half her age, or sometimes even more, and emerge victorious.

Her first major victory came at the downhill race in St. Moritz, where she secured her 83rd World Cup win. Then again, in Zauchensee, she secured her 84th career win, proving to the world that she isn’t just back, she’s back to seriously contend for a medal at the Winter Games.

White also acknowledged her journey, which has been filled with difficulties, saying, “I know she was skiing with a lot of pain, she had a lot of knee injuries, a lot of things that had been plaguing her career.”

In 2013, Vonn tore her ACL & MCL while racing in the super-G event in Austria. While this kind of injury is quite common for high-performance athletes like her, it put her in rehab for months. However, there was more.

Returning for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, in late 2013, Vonn reinjured her right knee as she crashed during a training run. Vonn has since undergone a partial knee replacement surgery in 2024, leaving her with a titanium block in her knee. She was finally pain-free and able to walk without a limp. And then she realized she could do more than just walk.

Recalling their conversation, White said:

“And I remember talking to her at one point, she’s like, yeah, I’m finally just skiing without pain. I’m finally in a place where I can really lean in, and I’m not hurting.” But watching her retire from the sport and come back and secure such victories has left the 39-year-old in awe.

“And I was putting myself in that mindset of like, gosh, if I was in a half-pipe and every time I really dug into the wall or stepped up my speed to get out, and I’m feeling pain, it’s such a hindrance, not only physically, but mentally. As one of the veterans in the sport, you know, similar to her, I’m just so thrilled for her. It’s obviously the dream come true comeback story. And yeah, we’re all pulling for her big time,” he said.

Vonn is inspiring many. And with her performances, she surely has broken the usual barriers around an athlete’s age.

Lindsey Vonn proved the critics wrong with her own style

Many were doubtful about a 40-year-old Lindsey Vonn’s comeback, arguing her age and time away from the sport made it an impossible endeavor. But on March 23, 2025, the American skier proved everyone wrong when she became the oldest woman to make a World Cup podium.

“Age is just a number. If you feel good and you’re mentally still driven and you work hard, you can achieve anything you set your mind to,” Vonn said, after that second-place finish in Sun Valley, Idaho.

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Furthermore, she spoke about the age barriers that women face, saying, “There’s just an expectation, especially of women at a certain age, that you need to be doing a certain thing, and I don’t believe in that at all. I think you’re only limited to what you push yourself to.”

Lindsey Vonn’s philosophy is simple. While having goals, she stays in the present, and rather than caring about the criticism surrounding her, she clearly knows how to shut down those who don’t align with her mentality, that is, with her performances.