Lindsey Vonn, the American alpine skiing legend, made a highly anticipated comeback on Saturday. After nearly six years away from competition, she took on a pair of downhill races in Copper Mountain, Colorado. This marked the first step in her journey to potentially compete in the 2026 Olympics.

Lindsey Vonn's Knee Injury Saga and Comeback Hope

Return to the Races

Vonn, now 40 years old, finished 24th and 27th out of 45 skiers in the FIS Fall Festival runs. Although the event is a level below the top-tier World Cup circuit, it attracted several top skiers who were training for the upcoming World Cup event in the same venue. Her time of 1:07.23 in the first run was 1.44 seconds off the pace of the winner, Austria's Mirjam Puchner, who won the silver medal in the Super-G at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. In the second race, she finished in 1:07.52, 1.53 seconds behind the defending World Cup downhill champion, Cornelia Huetter of Austria.This weekend's races were seen as a training opportunity for Vonn to keep building her skills. She understands that there is a long road ahead and is taking things one step at a time. "I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself because I have quite a few hoops to jump through," she told the New York Times.

Olympic Dreams

Vonn's ultimate goal is to compete again in World Cup races and potentially make it to the 2026 Olympics. The women's alpine skiing competition will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, where Vonn has achieved 12 World Cup victories in her career. However, she remains cautious and admits that she "can't say right now if it's a possibility" to compete in Cortina.Her comeback is a testament to her determination and resilience. Despite facing numerous knee injuries throughout her career, she has now had the knee replaced and is pain-free. This newfound freedom has given her the opportunity to pursue her Olympic dreams once again.

Career Highlights and Rivals

When Vonn retired, she was the most successful American World Cup skier of all time, with 82 individual event wins. Her record was second only to Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark in alpine skiing. However, since her retirement, Mikaela Shiffrin has emerged as a dominant force in the sport. Shiffrin, who was injured last week in a World Cup event in Vermont, has reeled off 43 more World Cup event wins and now sits one shy of the 100 mark.Vonn's career achievements are remarkable. She was a member of four U.S. Olympic teams between 2002 and 2018, winning three medals, including gold in the downhill in Vancouver in 2010. But knee injuries forced her to miss the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.Now, with her knee in good shape and a new lease on life, Vonn is back to prove that she still has what it takes to compete at the highest level. "It's been 6 years since I last raced so I still have a lot of equipment to test, finding my groove and really getting into racing form," she said in her Instagram post. "I am having a lot of fun and want to keep on doing so!"