Lindsey Vonn’s triumphant return to downhill racing on her titanium knee has emphatically silenced critics who suggested she "should see a psychologist" or had "gone completely mad".
At 41, Vonn dominated the opening speed weekend of the Olympic season, securing a resounding victory in the first downhill and accumulating the most points across three days of World Cup racing.
Just a year ago, as Vonn prepared to race again after nearly six years in retirement, two-time Olympic champion Michaela Dorfmeister questioned her motives on Austrian TV, asking: "Does she want to kill herself?"
Austrian downhill great Franz Klammer declared "she’s gone completely mad," while four-time overall World Cup champion Pirmin Zurbriggen remarked that Vonn "hasn’t recognized the meaning and purpose of her other life in recent years."
Such comments underscored the perceived risks of a sport where athletes hurtle down icy mountains at speeds of 130 kph (80 mph) with little protection.
However, Vonn has turned criticism into fuel.
"All the people that didn’t believe in me, I have to thank them because it really gives me a lot of motivation," Vonn stated.
"I’m surprised that people haven’t figured that out by now. That every time you talk bad about me it just makes me stronger and better and more motivated. So I would love for people to keep coming at me. It would be great. Motivate me even more."
Her performance on the Corviglia course in St. Moritz, Switzerland, was spectacular.
Vonn won Friday’s downhill by an astonishing 0.98 seconds – an eternity in a sport often decided by mere hundredths – becoming the oldest winner in World Cup history across both men’s and women’s categories.
Her celebratory "Night, night" gesture, mimicking NBA star Stephen Curry, caught the attention of LeBron James, who posted on Instagram: "40+ is the new 20. Well, until you wake up the next day!"
Fellow downhiller Sofia Goggia, the 2018 Olympic champion, conceded that Vonn "took us all to school and left us with a pacifier (baby's dummy) in our mouths."
Goggia playfully reinforced her comments the next day, posing with a pacifier alongside Vonn.
Beyond her dominant win, Vonn also secured second in another downhill on Saturday, despite a mid-race error, and finished fourth in a super-G on Sunday.
Her weekend tally of 230 World Cup points surpassed Goggia’s by 60 and outstripped 22-year-old Emma Aicher, Saturday’s winner, by 85. Goggia acknowledged Vonn had "raised the bar for every athlete in downhill and super-G."
This remarkable comeback has prompted Vonn to reconsider her immediate future.
Instead of retiring after the Milan Cortina Winter Games in February, she now plans to continue skiing through to the end of the World Cup season in March.
"I think I might need to change my approach," she admitted. Her head coach, Chris Knight, confirmed: "We can start planning for the whole season."
Knight attributes Vonn’s consistent high performance to refined equipment, improved fitness – having added 12 pounds (5.5 kilograms) of muscle – and a focus on recovery.
"It’s almost recovery is more important right now because she’s in a really good place with the skiing," he explained.
Looking ahead to the Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where Vonn holds a record 12 World Cup wins, her programme includes downhill, super-G, and the new team combined event.
Vonn had previously campaigned to partner with slalom star Mikaela Shiffrin for last year’s world championships, a chance her performance then didn't merit.
However, with Vonn’s current form and Shiffrin’s three slalom victories this season, a skiing "Dream Team" in Cortina now seems a distinct possibility.
Adding to her formidable support, former Olympic downhill champion Aksel Lund Svindal is on her coaching staff, providing a calming influence at the start gate.
"He’s been at the start a million times and his calm energy is really helpful to me because sometimes I’m really intense," Vonn said of Svindal. "He’s just always so stable and that gives me peace of mind."
Vonn’s extraordinary return is not just a personal triumph but a powerful statement on age, determination, and the enduring spirit of a champion.
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