Sofia Goggia on Lindsey Vonn's rumoured comeback: "It would be great to ski with my idol again"
As speculation builds about the American 'speed queen's' return to competition, the Italian downhill star shares her thoughts and updates us on her recovery from injury.
Alpine Skiing
Will 2024 mark the return of alpine skiing legends? It just might, for Lindsey Vonn.
The American downhill Olympic champion from Vancouver 2010 is reportedly eyeing a comeback, with the Beaver Creek World Cup stage on 14 December pencilled in as the date.
Vonn has been spotted training in New Zealand during the off-season and, more recently, on the slopes of Sölden, Austria, where the new season kicks off at the end of October.
This has fuelled speculation and raised hopes among her fans, including Sofia Goggia, a close friend and admirer of the four-time World Cup overall title winner, who racked up 82 career race victories.
"I say that who will live, will see," Goggia told Olympics.com at the Atomic Media Day 2024 in Salzburg, Austria.
Vonn has previously admitted to always acting as 'a mentor' to the Italian skier, who is also a close friend. Could they soon share the slopes again in alpine skiing's top-tier competition?
"I don’t know... It would be great to race in the World Cup with my idol," Goggia shared.
Lindsey Vonn: Racing again on the World Cup tracks?
Vonn wouldn’t be the only ski legend eyeing a comeback in the 2024/25 season.
On the men’s side, two-time Olympic champion Marcel Hirscher is set to return, now representing the Netherlands, while Lucas Pinheiro Braathen will compete for Brazil after one season off.
Still, the prospect of the 39-year-old American Vonn returning to the slopes, more than four years after her retirement, is a major talking point, even for those who may face her as a rival.
"I also learned this news last night, by reading the articles about it," Goggia shared with us in Italian. "There are a few rumours going around, a bit of gossip... but we'll see."
Vonn is one of the fellow skiers who has helped keep Goggia's spirits high after a serious injury in training last February cut her campaign short: "I’m very close friends with Lindsey, we talk often," the Italian explained.
"She understands my state of mind. I think people who can understand the best what you’re experiencing are those who have been through the same things. When you’re talking to them about something, you’re speaking in the same language and they understand quickly.
"Lindsey, with the career she had, also full of injuries, has been very understanding and supportive."
Sofia Goggia's slow road to recovery from injury: I start from a 'blank sheet'
Goggia will return to racing this season as she recovers from fractures to her right tibia and tibial malleolus.
Her campaign will kick off with the first FIS World Cup speed events in Beaver Creek, USA, but her rehabilitation process hasn't finished yet.
"For now, I'm living from day to day, really. I'll put my skis back on probably in the next few weeks, I'll go skiing for two days in the open field, I'll see how it goes with the boot, then little by little, because I'm still in the recovery phase.
"It wasn't easy," she concluded. "I attend these media events without any specific preparation on skis. I would say I start from 'tabula ras,' a blank sheet of paper to write on."