Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is ending her retirement at age 40 to make a skiing comeback

 Lindsey Vonn is coming out of retirement to rejoin U.S. Ski Team, she announced Thursday, intending to race again at age 40 — and six years after her last Olympics .

Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist, including a downhill gold and super-G bronze at 2010 Vancouver Games, and a bronze in downhill at 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She is also a four-time overall World Cup champion and owns eight world championship medals.

Her 82 World Cup race victories stood as record for a woman until that total was eclipsed in January 2023 by American Mikaela Shiffrin , who is still active and is now up to 97 wins — more than any Alpine ski racer in history of sport.

Before eclipsing Vonn's total, Shiffrin said : "I don’t know if I could fill Lindsey’s shoes, way that she has worn m.”

Vonn's last competition came in February 2019 , after she dealt with a long series of injuries throughout her career .

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

Just this April, years after leaving World Cup circuit, she h surgery for a partial knee replacement.

Vonn has been training in recent months, U.S. Ski & Snowboard said Thursday.

“Getting back to skiing without pain has been an incredible journey,” Vonn said, ding that she wants to "continue to share my knowledge of sport with se incredible women” on American team.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said Vonn’s “dedication and passion towards Alpine skiing is inspiring, and we’re excited to have her back on snow and see where she can go from here.”

Vonn is back with team effective immediately, but it is not yet known which particular races she will be aiming to enter.

next Winter Olympics will be in Italy in February 2026.