After having a successful partial knee replacement surgery earlier this year, 40-year-old ski athlete Lindsey Vonn is getting ready for her World Cup comeback in St. Moritz, Switzerland. However, people are talking about her return, given her age.
Vonn had retired from competitive skiing in 2019 after 18 years on the World Cup circuit. Now, she has participated in lower-level competitions in Copper Mountain, Colorado, to gain eligibility to compete again at the World Cup races.
With this, Vonn admitted to Eurosport: “Things haven’t changed now that I’ve had a knee replacement… My doctors have cleared me. They are very confident in what I’m doing. I wouldn’t be doing it if it was a reckless idea.”
She added: “I think a lot of people have a lot of wild ideas about how crazy it is what I’m doing, but I’m not a dumb person… I’ve talked to the best doctors in the world, and they’ve cleared me to do this.”
If she were to win or even make it to the podium at her age, Vonn would be breaking new ground. Federica Brignone became the oldest woman to win a World Cup race in October at the age of 34.
“I feel like I’m in my early 20s… It feels great. It’s like a whole new world for me. My goals, I’m trying to take it step by step. I’m trying not to get ahead of myself. I know that it’s going to take a little time to get back into it… I know that I’m skiing well. But I haven’t raced in almost six years. It’s going to take a second. But I think I can get back to a similar level where I was before,” Vonn shared.
Why is she doing this?
In a social media post, Vonn explained why she wanted to come back to the sport. She said: “’Why are you doing this?’ it’s a question I’ve been asked a lot lately. So I will tell you why…My life has taken me on a crazy roller coaster of ups and downs but despite everything I’ve been through, my “why” has always been, and always will be, my love for skiing.❤️”
“This time, it’s more than just picking myself back up. I’m rebuilding myself. Not just my knee, but as a person. I am so stronger today than I ever was before. I believe in myself. No matter my age or my history. No matter what people may say, I am doing this for me. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I don’t need the spotlight or attention. I simply want to do something that brings me joy and to share that joy with my family, friends, team and all of you.❤️”
“I am not holding on to the past, I am embracing the future. Call me naive, but I believe in the impossible. Because it’s only impossible until someone does it… So for myself, I will fight to do what makes me happy, and I encourage all of you to do the same. Life is too short to sit on the sidelines. Let’s get back in the game💪🏻” she remarked.
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Source: CNN