Can Lindsey Vonn win Winter Olympic gold again?

Lindsey Vonn retired from skiing in 2019 aged 34, having been arguably the biggest name in the sport over the previous two decades. She won 20 World Cup titles, including being crowned overall champion four times, and claimed downhill gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. But, in an Instagram post announcing the end of her career, Vonn said "my body is broken beyond repair", adding that "my body is screaming at me to STOP and it's time for me to listen."

So when she then announced in 2024 that, at the age of 40, she was returning to competitive skiing after successfully undergoing knee surgery, the sport was stunned. Several prominent names within skiing questioned the wisdom of her decision, arguing that she could be putting her future health at risk.

But not only has Vonn managed to compete at the top level, she's currently at the top of the World Cup downhill standings, winning two of the four races so far this season, and finishing on the podium in the others. Now, with the Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo less than a month away, will her comeback trail lead to Olympic gold?

Peggy Shinn is an American ski journalist who's covered Lindsey Vonn extensively throughout her career. She talks to the BBC’s Ed Harry about the work that's gone into getting Vonn back into the start gate, and her physical state as she prepares to step back into the Olympic spotlight. She also discusses the mindset that keeps Vonn competitive with a host of younger rivals - some of whom weren't even born when Vonn's World Cup career began.

Andrea Fanì covers the Alpine ski circuit for Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. As Italy prepares to welcome the winter sport world to Milan and Cortina, he discusses how Lindsey Vonn's comeback is being seen in Italy - and whether the country's two skiing superstars, Federica Brignone and Sofia Goggia, could write Olympic history of their own.

We also hear from Lindsey Vonn herself, as well as her coach, Aksel Lund Svindal. They both talked to Chemmy Alcott from the BBC’s Ski Sunday after Vonn’s latest victory in the Zauchensee downhill.

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