At the age of 41, Lindsey Vonn is breaking every kind of barrier she can. Right before the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, she delivered yet another demonstration of her skiing mastery, securing a runner-up finish in the World Cup super-G at Tarvisio, Italy. This makes it her seventh podium in eight races this season, as she finished 0.27 seconds behind 22-year-old Emma Aicher, and Ester Ledecka finished third.

Despite finishing second, the American skier conveyed a motivational message that perfectly displayed her mentality. “I’m close to another win, but it is what it is. I think I’ll save the hundredths for Cortina,” Vonn said, as reported by NBC Olympics & Paralympics on X. This showed nothing but her determination to be consistent on the circuit, which she has already proved in the current season.

Looking at the statistics, no other skier has more than three podiums in the speed events. But this changes entirely when we take a look at Vonn, whose worst result is a fourth-place finish. And in the World Cups, just like her recent win at Zauchensee, the American is someone who would push herself beyond her limits.

The conditions in that particular race weren’t ideal. Heavy snow led to the race being shortened by the officials, and it also made them cancel practice runs. But for the 41-year-old, she went with her guts. “The coaches were a little bit hesitant on going that tight, because it’s really easy to go too straight and then you’re in trouble. In general I thought the speeds were pretty low, so that’s why I felt I was able to take the risk,” she said after the race.

The track at no. 6 was treacherous in Zauchensee, but Lindsey Vonn didn’t fear; she took a calculated decision, which eventually earned her an 84th World Cup. But do you know that Vonn’s positivity has also become an inspiration for other skiers to rethink their retirement?

A lot of things to learn from Lindsey Vonn

Professional skiing in one’s 40s sounds very tough due to the high-performance nature of the sport, pushing the human body beyond boundaries in chilling conditions. A single mistake on ice can cost someone their life or surely a big fat medical check. This is where Lindsey Vonn comes in, who has broken the barriers and is keeping her form perfect at 41.

So, her story inspired many, including British freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, who retired after Beijing 2022. “I was thinking about (making a comeback) too, but then seeing her make that decision, she’s even older than I am, and then come back and get a (World Cup podium) in her first year back was really impressive and inspiring,” he said.

The Brit continued, “I feel like I was already leaning in that direction, but it gave me that extra nudge towards feeling like I should do it, I should go for it. She continues to inspire me. It’s pretty cool.” So, Vonn made it to the podium for the first time after her comeback in March 2025, and guess what? Right after two months, in May 2025, Kenworthy made his announcement confirming his own comeback.

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The two skiers will be attending the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, and their goal will be the same: to grab a few Olympic medals!