Lindsey Vonn Insists 2026 Olympics Was ‘Not a Factor’ in Skiing Return: ‘I Don’t Want to Put Any Expectations on It'

Lindsey Vonn is sharing her reasons for coming out of retirement — and it apparently has nothing to do with the upcoming Winter Games.

During an interview on Today on Tuesday, Dec. 10, the skiing champion, 40, said the upcoming 2026 Olympics was “not a factor” in her decision to return to the sport as she reflected on getting back on the slopes over the weekend in the FIS Fall Festival competition in Colorado.

“It’s definitely not a factor in what I’m doing now,” Vonn said of the Olympics, which will take place in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

“I think everyone knows how much I love Cortina,” she continued, mentioning her recording-breaking World Cup wins there. “Let’s see what happens but I don’t want to put any expectations on it.”

“No one’s done this before with a knee replacement [and] I am slightly older than I was before," the professional alpine skier said on the show. "So I don’t know... but if I could, that would be amazing."

Related: Lindsey Vonn Excited to Bring Winter Olympics Back to Salt Lake City in 2034: 'We Have Everything' (Exclusive)

Of course, Vonn has had her share of Olympic wins, with three gold medals to her name. Outside of the Games, she's won 82 World Cup races.

In 2018, Vonn announced her retirement from skiing, writing on Instagram that she had “accepted” that she could no longer participate in the sport due to a torn lateral collateral ligament (LCL). She wrote about the decision in a memoir titled Rise: My Story, released in 2022.

She'd undergo multiple knee surgeries including a full replacement in April. The athlete documented her journey back to strength in a series of posts on her Instagram.

To stay active, Vonn took on new sports, including wake surfing. But in November, Vonn shocked the sports world in an interview with The New York Times when she announced she was coming back to skiing.

Turns out, Vonn shocked herself too, telling Today that she “never thought it was going to happen" and that she's "just as surprised as anybody else."

“I always thought [my skiing career] was over,” Vonn said. “I mean, of course, if I had the opportunity to keep skiing I would have, but my injuries always held me back.”

Her return so far “has been incredible," including that middle-of-the-pack placement over the weekend. "I’m really enjoying this journey," Vonn said. "I honestly don’t know how far I can take it,”

Related: Lindsey Vonn Reveals She's Coming Out of Retirement Ahead of 2026 Winter Olympics: 'Definitely Not Planned'

As for why she actually decided to ski again, the skier told Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin that her attitude toward the sport changed after she “felt so good” coming out of surgery.

“I had no more pain and all the things that had been bothering me for so many years were suddenly gone and I thought, ‘If I feel this good playing tennis and all these other things, what about skiing?’ ” Vonn explained.

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The gold medalist is now calling her next new chapter in skiing "an adventure.”

“I don’t know where this is going to lead, but I am so happy to not be in a pain anymore and do to the thing I love most, which is skiing,” she shared.

Vonn’s first major tournament since returning will be at the World Cup circuit this winter season.

Today airs weekdays (beginning at 7 a.m. ET) on NBC.

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