After World Cup podium finish, Lindsey Vonn makes feelings known on the hardest moments from the season upon her return

Lindsey Vonn returned to Alpine skiing in late 2024, nearly six years after her retirement. Her comeback season featured a series of races that marked her resilience, as she faced setbacks with fortitude.

The 40-year-old returned to sport after partial knee surgery, and her comeback season was promising. Vonn secured a second-place finish in the Super-G at the 2025 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals in Idaho and became the oldest alpine skier to make a podium finish at the World Cup. Vonn boasts 28 Super G wins and five Super G titles.

After earning a podium finish, the American athlete is in her off-season. Speaking with FIS Alpine and reminiscing about her 2024-25 competitive season, she reflected on some challenging points from her return run.

"Yeah. I mean, I think there were a few difficult moments. Mostly just trying to figure out my equipment and figure out, you know, what was going right and what was going wrong and how to fix things, and it was hard to do that in the season, she said (0:50 onwards).

Lindsey Vonn acknowledged that the Cortina d’Ampezzo World Cup, where she finished 20th, was a low point in the season. Vonn said she had some trouble towards the finish point, adding:

"I think maybe Cortina was probably a low point because I really was skiing well, and I really wanted to do well there, and I, for some reason, had some trouble with the last part of the course. But yeah, I mean that's ski racing. You know, things happen, and you just have to keep trying and keep moving forward. It's no different than any other, you know, year, or every person has the same obstacles at some point in their life."

Cortina d’Ampezzo is one of Vonn’s most successful courses. She had registered 12 World Cup wins on the Olympia delle Tofane course before retiring from skiing in 2019.

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Timeline of Lindsey Vonn’s comeback to Alpine Skiing

Lindsey Vonn AT FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Source: Getty

Lindsey Vonn retired from competitive skiing in 2019 due to knee injuries, finishing her career with a bronze medal at the World Championships the same year.

Nearly six years later, after undergoing partial knee surgery, she returned to sport in 2024 with a World Cup podium finish in Idaho.

Here’s a look at the key races from her comeback:

1. St. Moritz, Switzerland – World Cup Super-G

Lindsey Vonn finished 14th in the Super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland, marking her first FIS Alpine World Cup race in nearly six years.

2. St Anton, Austria – Downhill Race

Vonn placed sixth in the downhill at St Anton, her first World Cup downhill after 2019. She finished 0.58 seconds behind Italy's Federica Brignone.

3. St.Anton, Austria – Super-G

Vonn achieved a fourth-place finish in the Super-G, finishing just 1.24s behind the winner, Lauren Macuga.

4. Cortina’ d’Ampezzo, Italy

Vonn finished 20th and suffered a crash during her race.

5. Sun Valley, Idaho – World Cup Finals

Lindsey Vonn, who holds 82 World Cup victories and three Olympic medals, claimed her first podium finish in nearly six years and became the oldest female athlete to make a podium finish at the World Cup.