Lindsey Vonn, at the age of 40, is all set to make her official ski race debut in nearly six years this weekend. Having announced her retirement last month, she will now take on lower-level FIS downhills and super-Gs on Saturday and Sunday respectively in Copper Mountain, Colorado. The U.S. Ski Team head coach Paul Kristofic shared this news with The Associated Press.

Why Vonn Needs Good Results

Vonn requires some decent results to enhance her long-dormant ranking. This will enable her to participate in World Cup races this season under the new wild card rule. As Kristofic mentioned on Wednesday, "Obviously her history speaks for itself and she’s definitely the most decorated speed skier out there and has done amazing things throughout her career. So it will be really, really fun and interesting to see what she can do."

Her Past Achievements

Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist, with a remarkable downhill gold at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Her 82 World Cup race victories once held the record for a woman until January 2023 when fellow American Mikaela Shiffrin surpassed it. Shiffrin, who is still active, now has 99 wins, more than any Alpine ski racer in the sport's history. Vonn's last competition was in February 2019, after a series of injuries throughout her career including broken arms and legs, torn knee ligaments, concussions and more. Just this April, after leaving the World Cup circuit for years, she underwent surgery for a partial knee replacement.

Training at Copper Mountain

During training at Copper Mountain with the rest of the U.S. team, Kristofic observed that Vonn's performance was "really promising." He added, "It’s getting better every time she goes out on the hill. It’s been a lot of work to catch up after five years away. But she’s motivated and pushing hard and I think really enjoying it, too."

Can She Be Competitive Right Away?

Kristofic believes it will be a building process. He said, "The full race intensity is something that’s difficult to replicate. But I think if she stays healthy and continues to improve the way she is, I think she will be competitive."

Other Skiing Legends

Tom Brady was the Super Bowl MVP at age 43 in 2021. Serena Williams reached the Australian Open semifinals at age 39 in 2021. At 41, swimmer Dara Torres won three silver medals at the 2008 Olympics. LeBron James is still going ahead of his 40th birthday this month. And Phil Mickelson won a golf major at 50 in 2021 with his PGA Championship title.

The Oldest Skiing Winners

The oldest woman to win a World Cup downhill was Vonn herself at age 33 in Are, Sweden, in March 2018. The oldest female winner in any race was established at the start of this season when Federica Brignone won the giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, in October at age 34. The oldest man to win a race was Didier Cuche at 37 in a super-G in Crans Montana, Switzerland, in 2012. Johan Clarey set the record for the oldest podium finisher with a second-place result in the famed Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbuehel, Austria, at age 42 in January 2023. Bill Johnson, the first U.S. skier to win an Olympic downhill title, suffered brain injuries when he crashed badly at age 40 during a comeback attempt and died five years later.

Other Skiers' Returns

Eight-time overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher took advantage of the wild card rule and recently returned after five years away. But then Hirscher tore his left ACL while training in giant slalom and announced on Tuesday that his comeback season was over. Breezy Johnson, one of the U.S. team’s most accomplished downhillers since Vonn’s retirement, is due to return for races in Beaver Creek, Colorado, this month after a 14-month ban after breaking anti-doping rules. Kristofic said it’s been “really difficult” for Johnson being away from the sport. She made three violations of whereabouts rules.

Shiffrin's Injury

Shiffrin has gone home to Colorado to recuperate from her crash in Saturday’s giant slalom in Killington. She suffered a deep puncture wound on the right side of her abdomen and “severe muscle trauma” but no serious bone, ligament or organ damage. The team is still trying to determine what exactly caused the puncture wound. Kristofic also cited strong results from the rest of the giant slalom team, with Katie Hensien finishing fourth in Soelden and Nina O’Brien sixth in Killington — both career bests; and promising 19-year-old Elisabeth Bocock earning her first World Cup points in Killington.