It’s been one shock after one other currently from Lindsey Vonn. And the announcement that the 41-year-old slopes queen has certified for the Milano Cortina Olympics in February isn’t the final of it.
It might need been her publish on Instagram that said unequivocally that this would be the finish.
“I’m honored to have the ability to symbolize my nation yet another time, in my fifth and ultimate Olympics!” Vonn mentioned.
Vonn’s exceptional and provoking comeback from accidents and a seven-year hiatus from top-level aggressive snowboarding has injected the U.S. workforce narrative with an irresistible story line. That her quest will culminate within the mountains of northern Italy simply two months from now will make it must-watch tv and social media video.
The final two weeks have thrust Vonn again onto the worldwide stage in addition to the rostrum, which she climbed in 4 of her first 5 races this season. That features a spectacular win within the downhill in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Dec. 12.
That marked her first World Cup victory since 2018. And now it’s official that Vonn will compete in her fifth Olympics the place she gained gold within the downhill and bronze within the super-G on the 2010 Video games in Vancouver and bronze within the downhill within the 2018 Video games in PyeongChang.
A lot of the astonishment circles again to her age. Vonn’s win in St. Moritz made her the oldest lady to win a World Cup race — by seven years. Federica Brignone of Italy set a report a 12 months in the past when she gained 10 races at age 34.
She is also the primary World Cup winner with titanium implants in her proper knee. And she or he’ll change into the primary quadragenerian to steer the U.S. Alpine skiiing squad seven years after she had all however retired.
In a shifting column on Feb. 10, 2019, on the World Championships, The Occasions’ Helene Elliott wrote what primarily was a sendoff for Vonn: “She went all out to the very finish, as a result of that’s the one means Lindsey Vonn knew easy methods to ski. She was bruised and battered as she went to the beginning gate on Sunday for the ultimate race of her profession, sore throughout and her proper eye blackened by the affect of a crash she suffered throughout a super-giant slalom race earlier within the week on the World Championships. Her ligaments tore and her bones typically broke however her competitiveness was by no means dimmed, by no means dented, by no means compromised.”
Nicely, 2026 is across the bend and Vonn is again and intact, her competitiveness by no means compromised nonetheless. She has not formally certified for the Olympics within the super-G, however she’s the quickest American and No. 3 on this planet, so depend on that as her subsequent headline.
“Lindsey qualifying for the 2026 Olympic workforce is a testomony to her resilience and dedication, and the exceptional outcomes she’s delivered on the World Cup this season,” Sophie Goldschmidt, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s president and CEO, mentioned in a press release. “She’s confirmed as soon as once more that elite efficiency isn’t nearly previous success, it’s about rising to the second, race after race.
“We’re thrilled to cheer her on on the Olympics.”
