“I was limping away”: Lindsey Vonn shares personal reason behind coming out of retirement at 41 for Winter Olympics

Lindsey Vonn has returned to elite ski racing. Vonn’s return to the game was surprising for many, but the reason was very personal as the athlete exclusively told PEOPLE that she has unfinished business. Six years after stepping away from competition, the three-time Olympic medalist found herself capable of moving without pain again. The 2026 Winter Olympics is set for Italy, Vonn saw a rare opportunity to close her career on her own terms.The comeback also places her back on the sport’s biggest stage at an age few ever reach in alpine racing. At 41, Vonn is preparing for what would be her fifth Olympic appearance. Lindsey Vonn’s return became possible after a partial titanium knee replacement in 2024. Years of torn ACLs and recurring injuries had once made daily movement difficult. The procedure changed her outlook and restored confidence in her body.“My body was so different,” she told PEOPLE. “I didn’t have any pain at all; my knee didn’t swell. I felt like I could do anything. The thought of ski racing again, something I loved to do so much, but without pain, was really exciting.”Retirement had been fulfilling. Vonn devoted time to her girls’ sports foundation and built a full life away from racing. Still, the way her career ended never sat right with her.“I built an amazing life and was really happy in retirement,” she says of mostly focusing on her philanthropy. “But I didn’t finish my career the way I wanted to. I was limping away when I wanted to finish strong.”Cortina d’Ampezzo plays a huge role in Vonn’s decision to target the 2026 Games. The Italian venue holds defining moments from her early career and powerful family memories.“Honestly, I don’t know if I would have done this if it wasn’t at Cortina," she admits. “It’s where I got my first podium [placing third at the 2004 World Cup]. I also broke the women’s World Cup record there.”The race in 2004 marked one of the rare times both of her parents were present. Her mother, Lindy, died in 2022 after battling ALS."It’s one of the few races in my whole career that both of my parents were at,” she says. “So it’s a very special place for me.”Now named to the U.S. Olympic roster for 2026, Vonn enters the Games as a veteran leader.