Lindsey Vonn says she has ‘nothing to prove’ as she prepares to return to the Olympics

NEW YORK (AP) — Lindsey Vonn feels like she has “nothing to prove” in her bid to return to the Olympics at the age of 41, more than two decades since her first.

The American ski great with medals in multiple disciplines said Tuesday she’s not worried about tarnishing her legacy after coming out of retirement several years after she last competed.

“I don’t think anyone remembers Michael Jordan’s comeback,” Vonn said at the Team USA Olympic Media Summit ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games. “I don’t think that tarnished his legacy at all. … I’ve already succeeded. I’ve already won.”

A partial knee replacement in the spring of 2024 paved the way for her return to racing with Vonn setting her sights on skiing in one of her favorite places in Cortina, where she got on the podium at a World Cup event for the first time and broke the Women’s World Cup wins record. She called it the perfect way to end her career.

“I don’t think I would have tried this comeback if the Olympics weren’t in Cortina,” Vonn said. “If it had been anywhere else, I would probably say it’s not worth it. But, for me, there’s something special about Cortina that always pulls me back and it’s pulled me back one last time.”

Vonn is set to train at Copper Mountain in Colorado in November and race again in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in December. Assuming she qualifies, she plans to compete in the downhill, super-G and team combined races.

“That’s dependent on results, but that is my intent,” Vonn said. “There’s not a world in which I would be happy with not qualifying for the Olympics. But I don’t think that’s in the cards.”

Vonn is aiming to be back at the Olympics, where she won downhill gold and super-G bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Games and downhill bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games — what she thought was her final Olympics. She’s not shy in acknowledging how old she is compared to U.S. teammates and rivals and how her training has changed but insisted she is not satisfied with just participating.

Eating better and feeling no pain in her right knee helped Vonn train better and smarter than in her younger days.

“I think I’m in potentially the best shape of my life, which is saying something at my age,” Vonn said. “Because of my knee replacement, I literally can do anything I want to do. I’m not restricted.”

Mentally, Vonn is in a different place than she was when she made her Olympic debut at 17 at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Sure, the nerves are still there, but she’s driven now by adrenaline and not worried about the weight of expectations.

“I’m the harshest critic of anyone,” Vonn said. “No matter what expectation the world has on me, I definitely have higher expectations.”

When Vonn speaks with her father, he has a different perspective on the challenge in front of her.

“My dad says it’s the most pressure I’ve ever had in my whole life,” Vonn said. “I don’t t feel like I have a lot of pressure.”

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics