Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic comeback ended almost as quickly as it began. After her brutal crash, her father, Alan Kildow, opined, “She’s 41 years old, and this is the end of her career.” As far as he’s concerned, Vonn’s skiing chapter should close after the Milan Olympics fall and five surgeries. But will it? Because Vonn’s stance seems to be different, and now, she’s even bringing another ski legend into the conversation, adding a fresh twist to what comes next for her.
In an interview with Alex Sherman and CNBC, Lindsey Vonn talked about her injury, life, and pushing the limits, which led Sherman to ask whether there had ever been a 45-year-old Olympic skier.
“I know one woman did, Sarah, Sarah Schleper,” Vonn told Sherman. “I used to race with her on the US ski team, and I think she competed in these Olympics, and she was, I wanna say, don’t kill me, Sarah, but I think it was 50, and, um, she raced with her son. Her son was, I think, 18 or 19. So it’s been done.”
For the unversed, Sarah Schleper starred in 7 Winter Olympics, having competed for both USA and Mexico. The most recent was the February one, where she competed at 46 years old and became the oldest Alpine skier to compete at the Olympics. Vonn then opened up on the possibility of her replicating a similar achievement.
PS: If Vonn actually turns up at the 2030 Games, she’ll be one of the oldest to do it too. Vonn said, “If I were to do it, I would only do it if I could be fast. But, I don’t know, that’s a long way off. I would be 45 (during) the next Olympics. That might be a little bit too much, but we’ll see.”
A lot rests on those three words. It hints that Lindsey Vonn hasn’t shut the door on the 2030 Olympics question. This comes days after she’d dropped similar hints in a Today interview that she’s not hanging up her boots permanently yet,
“I know I’ll be happy if I do ski race again. That’s no question. But I don’t know. It might be fun to do one more — one more run.” When asked if she was serious about her comeback, Vonn had said, “I mean, much to my family’s dismay, yes.”
The timing of this optimism hits hard.
Vonn, who is now dealing with “compartment syndrome” in her leg. Just days ago, Vonn confirmed that she’s mentally preparing herself for a sixth and maybe seventh surgery after the Milan Olympics crash. The 41-year-old confirmed the same in a separate interview with Craig Melvin, during which she revealed that her ACL has not yet been repaired.
“So in probably the fall I’ll, my bone will be healed. We’ll take out all the metal and um, then, then we’ll fix the ACL. So i still have no ACL right now.”
Yet she has cited examples of many older athletes who inspire her, including Schelper, who returned from a 2014 retirement with Mexican citizenship, racing for Mexico at Milano Cortina 2026.
“You know, there are a lot of athletes that are competing at an older age,” Vonn explained. “I mean, Tom Brady is, is one of them. Um, Lewis Hamilton’s still competing in his 40s. I think it depends on the athlete and, um, and their body and, and what they can still do at that age.
“Also, their drive and determination. You know, if, if you still have the will to compete, then, um, you know, you should continue to try. So, um, we’ll see.”
That’s likely why Vonn has still vehemently refused to completely rule out a return to skiing, even if making the cut for the 2030 Olympics might be as tough as it gets.
Lindsey Vonn refuses to rule out a return despite family’s concerns
Vonn’s injury does add a chink to her return to skiing as it will tack on more days spent rehabbing her leg and knee beyond what she’s already doing, but it doesn’t seem to bother Lindsey Vonn. What bothers her is the fact that she never got closure because the crash ended things prematurely.
“It’s just that ski racing is something I love to do, and I had so much fun this season that,” Vonn told Melvin. “And I never got to, I never got a final run. I never got to say goodbye. I never got, like, any sort of closure whatsoever, that I think it leaves the door slightly open to, I don’t know, maybe I would do one more race to say goodbye, or maybe I, maybe I’ll race again.”
Ahead of the crash, Vonn chased a fairy-tale ending. She targeted an Olympic medal, preferably gold, in women’s downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo. Not to mention, the Games’ location drove her return. She said she would skip the Olympics anywhere else. She cherished Cortina’s history and felt her late mother’s presence there. That inspired her to follow her dreams.
Melvin recently asked if Vonn planned another comeback once healed. She confirmed it’s possible, despite objections.
“I think it’s, it’s just something that… I mean, I’ve been, like I said, so isolated and not able to really live life outside of skiing. Like, I’m still kind of trapped in this, like, I-didn’t-have-my-Olympic-dream situation. I need to walk and be out in public and, you know, be living life.”
For now, Lindsey Vonn’s focus remains on recovery, one surgery and one step at a time, before any real decision can be made. What comes after that will depend less on timelines and more on whether she feels there’s still something left unfinished.
