Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games: Lindsey Vonn relishing retirement with 'full circle moment'
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Updated 27/01/2026 at 08:24 GMT
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Cortina d'Ampezzo holds a special place in Lindsey Vonn's heart. It is where the 20-time crystal globe winner first stood on a World Cup podium in 2004, where she went on to break the women's podium record in 2016, and where she will end her glittering career. The Italian resort hosting the 2026 Winter Olympic Games was also the reason for her sensational return to the sport.
‘Just being here is pretty remarkable’ – Vonn looks ahead to Winter Olympics
Video credit: SNTV
Cortina d'Ampezzo was the reason Lindsey Vonn began her long road to recovery, and she has almost reached her final destination.
The 41-year-old will bow out of the sport with "a full circle moment", competing for one last time at the resort where she first tasted senior success on the slopes.
After making her Olympic bow at Salt Lake City in 2002, Vonn went on to step onto a World Cup podium for the first time in Cortina after a third-place downhill finish in January 2004.
Nine knee surgeries and 22 years later, Vonn is preparing to return once more for the climax to a sensational comeback story.
"I think it is one of the most meaningful parts of this journey and, really, the reason why I am on this journey," Vonn replied to Team USA's question on the significance of Cortina to her.
"I mean, obviously, I needed a knee replacement to be here. But, I do not think that I would have come back if it had not been Cortina as the host for the Olympics.
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Highlights: Vonn secures another win in Zauchensee after sensational run
Video credit: TNT Sports
"You know, I had my first podium in Cortina. It is where I really figured out how to truly race downhill in a competitive way, and it is also where I broke the women's World Cup win record [in 2016]. I do not have very many World Cups where my family attended, and that was one of them when I broke the record.
"So, hopefully, this will be a full circle moment. I can end my career at one of my favourite places, and make another meaningful memory."
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Vonn returned to competitive skiing in December 2024, almost six years after retiring from the sport due to recurring knee injuries.
Her final World Cup race before her first retirement came in Cortina in January 2019, and it has taken some time for her to return to form and fitness for the upcoming Games, shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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'What a weekend for Vonn' - American superstar delights Swiss crowd
Video credit: TNT Sports
It took a year for the American to win her first World Cup since her comeback, a downhill crown in St. Moritz.
A second followed at the start of 2026, again in the downhill event, this time in Zauchensee.
"I mean, I think the journey in and of itself is a victory, Vonn said. "I am 41 years old with a partial knee replacement.
"I do not think - you know, me included - anyone would have ever thought that I would be in this position, and I think just being here with everything that I have been through is pretty remarkable.
"I have to take a step back and think about it, and appreciate that I am even able to have this opportunity. So, yes, it has been incredible."
But while participation is an incredible achievement in itself, Vonn will not race in Cortina to make up the numbers.
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Vonn success 'totally insane but not surprising' - Kristoffersen
Video credit: SNTV
The 41-year-old is currently leading the downhill World Cup standings, with seven podiums in total this campaign.
So it will be intriguing to see whether she can add to her sole Olympic gold medal, achieved eight years after her Games bow at the age of 17.
"I mean, it is really the same. I think it is just that everything has changed as far as the way we approach nutrition and therapy, recovery, and training," Vonn commented on the differences between preparing for her first and last Olympics.
"I work out just as hard, but maybe smarter, than I used to. I always did three sessions. I think that I definitely over-trained when I was younger, and the way that I have implemented a cleaner diet, I think, has helped my recovery as well.
"So, I am training harder, smarter, and more efficient and I think, because of that, I am able to do a lot more than I was when I was a lot younger."
How to watch Winter Olympic Games
TNT Sports and discovery+ will be the go-to destination in the UK to watch all of Milano Cortina 2026 live, with more than 850 hours of action from every sport, venue and medal event.
Coverage will be made available to the widest audience ever, with discovery+ customers across all plans - starting at £3.99/month in the UK and €4.99/month in Ireland - able to access comprehensive live coverage with 24/7 coverage available through TNT Sports 2 and a selection of live event feeds.
TNT Sports 2 will serve as the primary Olympic destination, offering more than 200 hours of live event coverage, studio programming, replays and highlights, delivering round-the-clock storytelling from Milano Cortina across all 17 days of competition.
WBD’s coverage of the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 begins on Wednesday, February 4 ahead of the Opening Ceremony at the iconic San Siro stadium on Friday 6 February, running until the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, February 22.
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