Lindsey Vonn is making her comeback to downhill racing this weekend at the age of 40

40-year-old Lindsey Vonn will take part in an official ski race this weekend for the first time in almost six years.

After announcing last month that she was coming out of retirement, Vonn will compete in FIS downhill and lower-level super-Gs on Saturday and Sunday in Copper Mountain, Colorado, said Paul Kristofic, head coach of the U.S. Ski Team, told The Associated Press.

Vonn needs some decent results to improve her long-dormant ranking so she can compete in World Cup races this season under a new wildcard rule.

“Obviously her story speaks for itself and she is definitely the most decorated speed skier out there and has done amazing things throughout her career,” Kristofic said Wednesday. “So it will be very, very fun and interesting to see what she can do.”

It’s likely that many of the current World Cup racers will compete alongside Vonn at Copper Mountain.

Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist, including winning gold in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Her 82 World Cup race victories were the record for a woman until that total was surpassed in January 2023 by fellow American Mikaela Shiffrin, who is still active and now has up to 99 victories to her name – more than any other female alpine ski racer in the world the history of the World Cup Sport.

Vonn’s last competition took place in February 2019 after she battled a long series of injuries throughout her career.

There were broken arms and legs, torn knee ligaments, concussions and more.

It wasn’t until April of this year, years after leaving the World Cup, that she had to undergo partial knee surgery.

While training at Copper Mountain with the rest of the U.S. team, Kristofic said Vonn’s performance was “really promising.”

“It gets better every time she goes on the mound. After five years of absence, it was a lot of work to catch up. But she is motivated and does her best, and I think she really enjoys it too,” he said.

Can Vonn be competitive right away?

“I think it will be a building process,” Kristofic said. “Full racing intensity is something that is difficult to reproduce. But I think if she stays healthy and continues to improve, I think she’ll be competitive.”

Vonn was not available for comment when contacted by The AP.

Tom Brady was the MVP of the Super Bowl in 2021 at the age of 43.

Serena Williams reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2021 at the age of 39.

At 41, swimmer Dara Torres won three silver medals at the 2008 Olympics.

LeBron James is about to turn 40 this month.

And Phil Mickelson won a golf major in 2021 at age 50 with his PGA Championship title.

The oldest woman to win a World Cup downhill was Vonn herself at age 33 in March 2018 in Are, Sweden.

The oldest race winner was determined earlier this season when Federica Brignone won the giant slalom in Sölden, Austria, in October at the age of 34.

The oldest man to ever win a race was Didier Cuche at 37 in a super-G in Crans Montana, Switzerland, in 2012.

Johan Clarey set the record for oldest podium finisher with a second-place finish at the famous Hahnenkamm downhill run in Kitzbühel, Austria, at the age of 42 in January 2023.

Bill Johnson, the first American skier to win an Olympic downhill title, suffered brain injuries when he fell heavily during a comeback attempt at age 40. Johnson died five years later.

Eight-time overall World Cup winner Marcel Hirscher took advantage of the wildcard rule and recently returned after a five-year absence. But then Hirscher tore his left cruciate ligament while training in the giant slalom and announced on Tuesday that his comeback season was over.

Breezy Johnson, one of the U.S. team’s most successful downhillers since Vonn’s retirement, will return to racing in Beaver Creek, Colorado, this month after a 14-month suspension for anti-doping rule violations.

Kristofic said it was “really difficult” for Johnson to stay away from the sport.

“She had to figure it out on her own and did a good job,” he said.

Johnson committed three residency violations.

Shiffrin has returned to Colorado to recover from her crash in Saturday’s giant slalom in Killington.

Shiffrin suffered a deep stab wound to the right side of her abdomen and “severe muscle trauma,” but no serious bone, ligament or organ damage.

Kristofic said the team is still trying to figure out what exactly caused the stab wound.

“Something sharp pierced everything, including her suit. “It was a pretty massive impact at the base of the goal,” he said.

Kristofic also pointed to strong results from the rest of the giant slalom team: Katie Hensien came fourth in Sölden and Nina O’Brien sixth in Killington – both career bests; and the promising 19-year-old Elisabeth Bocock, who collected her first World Cup points in Killington.

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AP Skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing