After a five-year retirement, Parkite and global superstar Lindsey Vonn will ski professionally once again. Thursday, the 40-year-old Olympic gold medalist announced her comeback to the sport. Vonn, a downhill specialist, last competed in 2019. She finished that World Cup season ranked 83rd in the world. Vonn’s last competition was the 2019 World Championships in Åre, Sweden. Vonn underwent a knee replacement surgery in early April. She suffered a slew of injuries in the decade before she retired. But now she’s pain free and has been training for the past few months, sparking a decision to give the sport another go. The women’s alpine team finished fourth in the world last year. They’re led by the GOAT of skiing, Mikaela Shiffrin, whose 97 World Cup victories overtook Vonn’s record of 82 and then Ingemar Stenmark’s 86. It’s unlikely Vonn will catch the Swedish skier’s longtime record broken by Shiffrin, but she’s undoubtedly be a role model for her teammates, many of whom grew up idolizing her. Vonn is a wildly popular star around the world with millions of fans, transcending skiing. She moved to Park City in recent years and entrenched herself in the community with her foundation’s events for younger girls and other endeavors. “Getting back to skiing without pain has been an incredible journey,” said Vonn. “I am looking forward to being back with the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and continuing to share my knowledge of the sport with these incredible women.”From left, Gov. Spencer Cox, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, Paralympian Dani Aravich and Olympian skier Lindsey Vonn celebrate the moment IOC President Thomas Bach announces that the 2034 Winter Games will be returning to Utah on July 24. Credit: File photo by David Jackson/Park RecordVonn’s new teammates have welcomed her back with open arms. U.S. Ski and Snowboard CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said she’s inspired by Vonn’s passion and can’t wait to see what she can accomplish in her return. “Lindsey is someone who has really been there for me throughout my time on the World Cup circuit,” said Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Bella Wright. “I never got the opportunity to be Lindsey’s teammate in the past, so the opportunity to ski alongside her is extremely exciting! I can’t wait to see what the U.S. women can do this season.” Wright finished last season ranked 70th in the world. She’s on this year’s Women’s A Team, alongside Shiffrin, Parkite Lauren Macuga and five others. Along with her 2010 Vancouver downhill gold medal and 82 World Cup wins, Vonn also has two more Olympic bronze medals and 20 circuit titles to her name. Her last Olympics came in 2018 Pyeong Chang, where she earned a downhill bronze.Dutch alpine legend Marcel Hirscher also returned to the sport at the Soelden Cup Oct. 27, finishing 27th in the giant slalom. Hirscher was No. 1 in the world from 2012-19, when he initially hung up his boots.In a New York Times story this week, Vonn referenced LeBron James, who averaged 24.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game at age 39 for the Los Angeles Lakers, as a model for athletic success at an older age.“My career ended with no intention of coming back,” Vonn told The Times. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t hope to be racing. I have aspirations. I love to go fast. How fast can I go? I don’t know. … My goal is to enjoy this, and hopefully that road takes me to World Cup races. I wouldn’t be back on the U.S. ski team if I didn’t have intentions.”Following Vonn’s April surgery, she realized her knee was stronger than it had been in many years. She trained in New Zealand and Austria in late August and October, respectively. “I’m super excited to see her back,” said Parkite mogulist Nick Page, who met Vonn when he was 10 years old. “I remember looking up to her success when I was younger and wanting to follow that same path. She’s always set the bar so high, from the way she carried herself to the way she competed and the way she overcame obstacles.”Parkite mogulist Nick Page and Vonn over a decade ago. Credit: Photo courtesy of Nick PagePage will be taking in Vonn’s first race whenever she returns to the circuit. Vonn will be focusing on the downhill and super-G events, the latter of which she won an Olympic bronze medal in at 2010 Vancouver. Vonn may target a return at the Beaver Creek World Cup in December, the first of the season for the two events. She’s allowed wild-card entries into any World Cup this year as a former overall champion, a new rule. “It’s a great time for fans of the sport to not only follow the current stars, but to look at some of these past stars coming back and see what they can do,” said Parkite and skiing communications legend Tom Kelly. “What I particularly like for her (Vonn) is that she’s doing this on her terms. … I’m really excited for her to be able to have this opportunity and that there’s a pathway in place now that allows people like Marcel and Lindsey to come back and ski again for the fans.”Kelly said he is confident that Vonn will still wow crowds despite the time off tour. He’s enjoyed watching her progress back from her April surgery on her Instagram account. Kelly said he hopes the skiing world and Vonn’s fans appreciate her efforts and don’t judge her on things other than her own goals. He thinks the whole team will benefit from Vonn’s return and mentorship. “Her (Vonn’s) name recognition and position within the global sporting community is probably the highest level of any American skier ever,” Kelly said. “She’s really transcended ski racing to be a global public figure in the world of sport. … That she’s bringing that popularity back into ski racing is really a big plus for the sport.”“I’ve been kind of anticipating she was going to reach the point of making this announcement,” he added. “This morning, when the news came through, I was really pumped for her that she’s at a place in her life and career where she could do this. I feel really good for Lindsey today.”To track Vonn’s progress, see her social media accounts and her FIS page. On social media Thursday, Vonn joked, “Off to Colorado … I hope the U.S. Ski Team uniform still fits.”The post Lindsey Vonn rejoins U.S. Ski Team at age 40 after long retirement  appeared first on Park Record.