Lindsey Vonn returns to world championships at 40, ready to silence critics and challenges
Talented group of Canadians also ready to impress in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria
When Tom Brady played in the NFL well beyond the age of 40, he wasn't considered crazy for facing 300-pound defensive linemen intent on sacking him.
When Lewis Hamilton recently got behind the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 car for the first time at 40, he wasn't told he's too old for the elite auto racing series.
Marcel Hirscher didn't get nearly as many pointed questions when he recently returned to ski racing after five seasons away.
So why did Lindsey Vonn face so much second guessing in Europe about her comeback at age 40 this season after spending the same time away from the sport as Hirscher?
Before Vonn returned in December, two-time Olympic champion Michaela Dorfmeister suggested that the American "should see a psychologist," adding on Austrian TV, "Does she want to kill herself?"
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Austrian downhill great Franz Klammer said "she's gone completely mad" and four-time overall World Cup champion Pirmin Zurbriggen said that Vonn "hasn't recognized the meaning and purpose of her other life in recent years."
"I don't think I really deserved the disrespectful comments to the degree that they were given. I of course expected criticism in that, `Is my knee safe?' That's a valid question," Vonn said Monday when she arrived at the world championships, referring to her reconstructed right knee that is now partially titanium.
"But there were a lot of questions that had to do with me as a person and my psychological state and what life is outside of skiing. And that was completely inappropriate and disrespectful and I didn't deserve it," Vonn added.
As for the response to her return back home in the U.S., Vonn said it was "amazing."
"Everyone has been really supportive. It's honestly only in Europe that I've had any sort of criticism," Vonn said.
"A lot of women my age are really, really happy that I'm doing what I'm doing. It means a lot for them," Vonn added. "I think it means something for women, too, that we can still pursue our dreams regardless of our age. We don't have to be doing a certain thing by a certain time. We can still be ambitious. Just because we're 40 doesn't mean it's over."
Unlike many of her younger competitors who have been competing nonstop for years and face immense pressure, Vonn sees things differently heading in to the World Championship races this week.
"Most girls here have pressure from their team, expectation, I don't have any," Vonn said.
"I have a free mind, I'm here because I enjoy it. There's literally no other reason I'm here."
Besides her two individual events of super-G and downhill, Vonn also wants to combine forces with Mikaela Shiffrin the new team combined event next week.
The women's event, which will be held on Feb. 11, entails one squad member competing in downhill and the other in slalom — with their two times added together to determine the final results.
Shiffrin and Vonn are the winningest female racers in World Cup history with 99 victories for Shiffrin and 82 for Vonn. Vonn is the all-time leader in World Cup downhill victories with 43 and Shiffrin holds the mark in slalom with 62 — both records among men and women.
"I think it would be probably one of the coolest things in ski racing to have 181 World Cup victories on one team," Vonn said.
"I don't see how that wouldn't be incredible."
Young, experienced talent eager to represent Canada
Vonn's return to the world championships may be grabbing headlines, but she isn't the only skier looking to make an impact in Austria this week.
Canada will be represented by a mix of young talent and established names looking to compete on one of the sport's biggest stages, including Britt Richardson, Cassidy Gray, and Val Grenier.
Richardson, 21, competing in her second World Championships, enters the event with confidence after posting a career-best 7th-place giant slalom finish at the FIS World Cup giant slalom race last month in Kronplatz, Italy.
"That gives me a lot of confidence," the Canmore, Alta., native said.
"I know my skiing is at a level where I can compete with the best girls in the world, and I feel like I've timed it perfectly coming into the biggest event of the year."
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Richardson is set to compete in the giant slalom, her strongest event, while her participation in other events is still to be determined.
While Richardson represents Canada's rising talent, Val Grenier brings experience and resilience to the team.
The 28-year-old has battled through injuries in recent years, including major ankle and leg injuries in 2019 and a fall at a super-G race at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, in early 2024 that required knee and shoulder surgery.
Grenier has established herself as a leader for Canada's alpine team — something she's still adjusting to.
As she prepares for the giant slalom and downhill events in her sixth worlds, Grenier embraces the opportunity to continue representing Canada on the world stage — particularly at a time when political tensions have grown amid the threat of a tariff battle with the United States.
"Wearing the Maple Leaf internationally is the best thing ever. I love being Canadian and I'm really proud of it," the St. Isidore, Ont., native said.
"We know people back home wake up early to watch us race, and we feel the support. We'll make them proud."
At the same time, being back to compete at her second world championship after missing it in 2023, the Invermere, B.C., native Cassidy Gray is eager to build on Canada's recent success.
"There's a lot of good energy around the Canadians right now," said the 24-year-old, who will be competing in the super-G event.
"At the end of the day, we're here to put on a show, but we're also here to inspire people. I hope our team's strength shows people across Canada that they can work hard toward their own goals, whatever they may be."
All matches of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships will be live streamed on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. For the full streaming schedule, click here.
With files from CBC Sports
