Lindsey Vonn can book her ticket to Italy.
The 41-year-old skier reached the podium in four races this season, officially qualifying her for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced on Tuesday.
“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” Vonn wrote in a post on Instagram.
Lindsey Vonn celebrates her third-place ties at the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women’s Super G with Alice Robinson. Getty Images
“When I made the decision to return to ski racing, I always had one eye on Cortina because it’s a place that is very, very special to me,” Vonn wrote. “Although I can’t guarantee any outcomes, I can guarantee that I will give my absolute best every time l kick out of the starting gate. No matter how these games end up, I feel like I’ve already won.”
Vonn, a three-time Olympic medalist, retired in 2019 after a series of injuries derailed her career. She picked up the sport again in 2024 following a partial knee replacement and has returned to being a dominant racer.
She became the oldest skier to win at St. Moritz to start the season, added a second-place finish the day after, and then came in third at the Val d’Isère Downhill and Super-G.
The St. Paul, Minn. native scored a gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Games in Vancouver, taking home bronze in the Super-G. Eight years later in PyeongChang, she added a downhill bronze to her collection.
Vonn planned to retire again after the Olympics, but will continue racing through March to finish out the World Cup series, she told The Athletic.
Lindsey Vonn of Team United States in action during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women’s Super G. Getty Images
“I feel like I’m rolling the dice enough as it is, being 41 and putting myself through this,” she said. “So this is a one-season, final season. I know I already did a documentary (called) ‘The Final Season’ (in 2019), but this is really the final season.”
Even with the end in sight, Vonn is pushing herself to be better.
“I’m figuring it out,” she told The Athletic. “I’m making improvements, I know where I’m going wrong. I know where the time is. … I’m very close to winning all these races, which is important for me. … The main point is that I’m fast.
“For Cortina,” she said, “things are looking pretty f–ing awesome.”