Lindsey Vonn

The Making Of A Champion

Lindsey Vonn was born Lindsey Caroline Kildow on October 18, 1984, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and more than four decades later she remains the most recognizable name in American alpine skiing. She was strapped into skis before she could properly read, gliding down local slopes at age two under her father's watchful eye. By nine, she had already met her childhood idol, Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street, an encounter that planted the seed of a career few could have predicted would stretch across three different decades. When Vonn was eleven, her family made the defining decision of her young life, relocating to Vail, Colorado, so she could train with the region's elite junior programs. The mountains there sharpened her instincts and toughened her resolve, setting the stage for a rise that would eventually reshape the record books of women's skiing.

Rise To World Cup Dominance

Vonn made her World Cup debut in November 2000, just sixteen years old and largely unknown outside skiing circles. It took years of grinding through the circuit before the breakthroughs arrived, but once they did, they came in waves. Her Lindsey Vonn career accelerated through the mid-2000s as she established herself as a genuine threat in downhill and super-G, disciplines that reward equal parts fearlessness and precision. By 2008, she had claimed her first overall World Cup title, then followed it with two more in 2009 and 2010, an unprecedented run of consecutive dominance. A fourth overall crystal globe came in 2012. Along the way, Vonn piled up race wins at a pace few skiers, male or female, had ever managed, eventually reaching 82 World Cup victories and cementing her status as the winningest female skier in history, trailing only Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark on the all-time list.

Olympic And World Championship Glory

For all her World Cup success, it was the Olympic stage that turned Vonn into a household name. She first competed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games as a teenager, then returned in 2006, before finally breaking through at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. There, she became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in downhill skiing, adding a bronze in super-G for good measure. An injury forced her to withdraw from the 2014 Sochi Games, a painful absence for an athlete who had built her identity around competing hurt. She answered with resolve in 2018, arriving in Pyeongchang with a fractured arm and a bruised back yet still skiing to a downhill bronze at age 33. Her Lindsey Vonn Olympics résumé closed with three medals across four Games. On the World Championship stage, she collected eight medals over the course of her career, becoming the first woman to medal at six separate World Championships.

Injuries, Setbacks And Comebacks

Vonn's story cannot be told without her injuries, which arrived with brutal regularity and tested her at nearly every turn. A horrific crash at the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, Austria, tore ligaments in her right knee and required reconstructive surgery, derailing her Sochi ambitions. She fractured the same knee again in 2016 during a super-G in Andorra, yet raced the very next day. By early 2019, the accumulated toll had become undeniable. "My body is broken beyond repair," Vonn wrote as she announced her retirement, a decision she called one of the hardest of her life. She closed her competitive career on her own terms at the 2019 World Championships in Åre, Sweden, winning bronze in the downhill and becoming, at the time, the oldest woman to medal at a World Championships.

Return To Competition And Legacy

Retirement did not hold. In April 2024, Vonn underwent a partial knee replacement, and by November she stunned the sport by announcing her return to the U.S. Ski Team at age forty, an unprecedented move for a downhill racer with an artificial joint. She made her comeback that December in St. Moritz and, within a year, had claimed her 83rd World Cup victory, becoming the oldest downhill winner in World Cup history. She qualified for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, her fifth Games, only to rupture her ACL in a training crash just nine days before the opening ceremony. She raced anyway, crashing early in the Olympic downhill and requiring surgery for a fractured leg. Reflecting afterward, she insisted she had no regrets, calling the pursuit itself the victory. Whatever chapter comes next, Lindsey Vonn's career, defined by 82 World Cup wins, three Olympic medals, and a refusal to accept limits, has already secured her place among the greatest alpine skiers the sport has ever produced.

FAQs About Lindsey Vonn

How old is lindsey vonn ?
Lindsey Vonn was born on October 18, 1984, making her 41 years old as of 2026.
She remains one of the oldest competitive alpine skiers in World Cup history.

How is lindsey vonn doing ?
Vonn is recovering from the complex tibia fracture she suffered during her crash at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. She has undergone multiple surgeries and has said her recovery has steadily improved, though it included difficult early weeks. She returned home to the United States shortly after the injury and has continued sharing recovery updates publicly.

What bone did lindsey vonn break ?
Vonn suffered a complex fracture of her left tibia, or shinbone, during her downhill crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The injury required surgery to stabilize and multiple follow-up procedures.

Which leg did lindsey vonn tear her acl ?
Vonn tore the ACL in her left knee during a World Cup training crash on January 30, 2026.
Her right knee, which had a partial replacement in 2024, was not involved.

When did lindsey vonn tear her acl ?
Vonn tore her ACL on January 30, 2026, during a World Cup downhill event in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
The injury occurred just over a week before the 2026 Winter Olympics began.

Which acl did lindsey vonn tear ?
The torn ACL was in Vonn's left knee, sustained in a high-speed crash into safety netting.
This was separate from her right knee, which underwent partial replacement surgery in 2024.

How did lindsey vonn tear her acl ?
Vonn tore her ACL after losing control and crashing into the safety netting during a World Cup downhill race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on January 30, 2026.
The crash also caused bone bruising and meniscal damage.

Where does lindsey vonn live ?
As of 2026, Vonn's primary residence is a custom home in Park City, Utah.
She previously owned properties in Beverly Hills and Miami before relocating permanently to Utah.

Which knee did lindsey vonn have replaced ?
Vonn had a partial replacement of her right knee in April 2024 to address severe cartilage damage.
The surgery used robotic-assisted, titanium unicompartmental components.

Did lindsey vonn date tiger woods ?
Yes, Vonn and golfer Tiger Woods were in a relationship from 2013 to 2015.
Both have spoken publicly and amicably about their time together since the split.

Does lindsey vonn have children ?
No, Lindsey Vonn does not have any children.
She has spoken in past interviews about hoping to become a mother someday.

Who was lindsey vonn married to ?
Vonn was married to fellow alpine skier Thomas Vonn from 2007 to 2013.
The couple did not have children together and have remained on friendly terms since their divorce.