Lindsey Vonn exclusive on pushing alpine skiing forward and Mikaela Shiffrin breaking "new glass ceilings"
The 2010 Olympic gold medallist addresses some of the issues affecting the sport and shares how her former teammate can inspire the next wave of American skiers: "The fact that she didn’t just break the record but now she's going to break 100 [wins] is crazy," Vonn said in this exclusive interview.
Alpine Skiing
"I've always been very driven in my life, since I was a kid. I never really liked to stop moving. I always want to keep doing things," Lindsey Vonn told Olympics.com last May when she came to Madrid, Spain, for the 2024 Laureus Awards, just days after undergoing knee replacement surgery.
A few months later, the alpine skiing legend returned to the slopes, practising the sport she loves most in New Zealand, and was recently spotted training in the Austrian resort of Soelden, fuelling speculation of a possible comeback.
"With this new knee that is now a part of me… I feel like a whole new chapter of my life is unfolding before my eyes,” the 39-year-old recently posted on her social platforms.
“Who will live, will see,” said Vonn’s friend and fellow Olympic champion, Sofia Goggia, on rumours that Vonn would be competing at least once in the 2024/25 season. “I’m intrigued by it,” was the comment from Mikaela Shiffrin, who last year overtook Vonn’s record for the most World Cup wins among women
Lindsey Vonn on injuries in alpine skiing: ‘This isn’t the first time it’s happened…’
Five years after her retirement, Vonn remains passionate about the sport she was involved in for almost two decades: “What I always tried to do in my career is push the sport forward. And I think safety is obviously a big issue, but it's always been a big issue,” the American said, addressing the numerous injuries that affected several stars last season, from Aleksander Aamodt Kilde to Mikaela Shiffrin.
“This isn't the first time this has happened. We've seen, for example, in Wengen, losing 4 or 5 of the top athletes in a single race. And that’s unfortunately part of the sport. But there are new technologies now, like the airbag, and I think there are things we can do to better manage athletes' time and energy levels.”
Vonn also believes a lot of work is needed to better promote skiing and make it more accessible on TV: “Right now in the United States, you really can't watch ski racing, which is crazy. We can only watch Austrian races, and it's only on one channel at three in the morning. So not a lot of people are watching ski racing in the U.S. right now.
“I think everyone wants the sport to be successful, but everyone also needs to work together to make that happen. So I hope we can find a way.”
Lindsey Vonn: Sofia Goggia is very much like me
Mentorship has always been one of Vonn’s focus areas. When Goggia suffered multiple leg fractures in training earlier this year, Vonn comforted the Italian: “Sofia and I are always in touch. I know she struggled a lot with this last injury, but when I spoke with her later, she was in a much better place,” Vonn shared.
"She's someone who is very much like me. She will always keep trying, keep working hard. She's very driven, very passionate. She skis with her heart, and I think that's why it's sometimes hard to emotionally handle injuries—because she wants it so badly and works so hard.”
The Vancouver 2010 gold medallist sustained a similar training injury in 2015, though she didn’t need a metal plate at the time, and she believes Goggia can fully recover: “She's very motivated for the Olympics in Milano-Cortina,” Vonn said.
“I think she’s got plenty of time for Milano, so she'll be good. I would always count on her for a medal.”
Lindsey Vonn on the evolution of records
In 2015, Vonn set the new record for the most World Cup wins by a woman, achieving her 63rd win in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Four years later, she retired from the sport with a total of 82 wins, just four shy of Ingemar Stenmark’s all-time record.
Over the last two years, Mikaela Shiffrin not only caught up with her and the Swedish legend but, after ending last season with victory number 97, she’s close to reaching 100 wins. “It would be an incredible milestone,” Vonn said.
“The fact that she didn’t just break the record but now she's going to break 100 is crazy. And I think if you look at it, it's the evolution of sports. We all push each other to break new glass ceilings. And she’s pushing it for the next generation and hopefully she inspires the next wave of American skiers.
“When I broke the record, it was at 63, and I made it to 82. So that's about 20 wins. And then she broke the record, so 20 wins more than that is 100. So it kind of seems like it's going in a great direction. And, you know, we need that, ski racing needs that and she's been an amazing advocate for the sport”
Shiffrin, who turned 29 in March, still likely has several seasons ahead of her. “She can go as long as she wants. I think it’s just a matter of whether she wants to and if she can stay healthy,” Vonn said.
“Slalom is a lot less risky than downhill, and I think we saw this year when she crashed in downhill that it’s a challenging event. But in slalom, she could definitely continue racking up as many wins as she wants. Plus, she can win in all five disciplines, and that’s something she can definitely do.”