The 2026 Winter Olympics is going to have some added star power.
Famed alpine skier Lindsey Vonn has qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the Downhill discipline, just over a year after coming out of a five-year retirement.
“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my fifth and final Olympics!” Vonn wrote in a statement via Instagram on Tuesday, December 23. “I always had one eye on Cortina because it’s a place that is very, very special to me. Although I can’t guarantee any outcomes, I can guarantee that I will give my absolute best every time I kick out of the starting gate. No matter how these Games end up, I feel like I’ve already won.”
Vonn’s recent performance to start World Cup season leaves her as the overall World Cup leader in the downhill standings — more than enough to send her to Italy for the 2026 Winter Games.
“It was very important to me that I qualified based on my performance and results this season,” Vonn told The Athletic in a story published Tuesday, “and not based on what was done in the past. My skiing had to earn this spot, and I’m proud to have done that.”
What she has done in the past, however, speaks for itself. She is a four-time Olympian who won the Downhill gold in 2010 and took home the bronze in the Super-G and Downhill in 2010 and 2018, respectively. She also has 83 World Cup wins over 21 seasons, placing on the podium 142 times. Her 44 downhill and 28 super-G World Cup wins are both all-time records..
“Lindsey qualifying for the 2026 Olympic team is a testament to her resilience and dedication, and the remarkable results she’s delivered on the World Cup this season,” Sophie Goldschmidt, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s president and CEO, said in a statement, per The Athletic. “She’s proven once again that elite performance isn’t just about past success, it’s about rising to the moment, race after race. We’re thrilled to cheer her on at the Olympics.”
Now, Vonn is gearing up to participate in her first Olympics since 2018, one year before she announced her retirement due to previous injuries beginning to take a toll on her body.
“The unfortunate reality is my mind and body are not on the same page,” Vonn said in a statement at the time. “After many sleepless nights, I have finally accepted that I cannot continue ski racing.”
She continued, “Over the past few years I have had more injuries and surgeries than I care to admit. I have always pushed the limits of ski racing and it has allowed me to have amazing success but also dramatic crashes.”
But after undergoing knee replacement surgery in early 2024, her plans suddenly changed. She began skiing again and, to her shock, she was able to do so pain-free.
“I had a smile so wide it was coming through the back of my helmet,” Vonn said. “I have aspirations. I love to go fast. How fast can I go? I don’t know.”
