SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria — During her opening race at the Alpine skiing world championships on Thursday, Lindsey Vonn experienced a brief loss of feeling in her right arm after it became hooked on a gate. This incident occurred while she competed in the super-G, despite feeling under the weather.
The 40-year-old skier has made a return to the slopes following nearly six years of retirement, now equipped with a new titanium right knee. Vonn recorded the 16th fastest time at the initial split but faced trouble while navigating a right turn.
As she approached the gate, it pressed against her forearm, locking her elbow to her side and pushing her arm back, placing strain on her shoulder. Remarkably, Vonn managed to remain upright and avoid a fall, but she grasped her arm in evident discomfort afterward.
“I’m OK. I hit my nerve somehow when I hit the gate and lost feeling in my arm, but it’s gradually coming back,” Vonn commented. She has been feeling unwell with symptoms akin to a cold or the flu.
“I’m sick, and I’m a little banged up. I thought I skied the top section well. I’ve been adjusting my gear and boots,” Vonn said. “I was just a bit too aggressive with the gate, and that is when it happened.”
The spectators in the finish area reacted with gasps and a wave of silence upon witnessing Vonn’s mishap. However, she eventually skied down to the finish line and waved to the crowd with her right arm.
After the incident, Vonn remained to celebrate with her younger teammate, Lauren Macuga, who tied for third place and earned a medal in her first world championship race. This achievement is particularly noteworthy, as Vonn did not secure a medal in her debut appearance at the world championships two decades ago.
“I am really excited for Lauren; she skied incredibly. I’m really proud of her,” Vonn expressed.
Looking forward, Vonn still intends to participate in the final training session on Friday in preparation for the downhill race set for Saturday. “I didn’t wait six years to be staying in bed because I’m sick,” she stated.
This marks Vonn’s ninth participation in the world championships, with her last appearance being in 2019, where she won a bronze medal in downhill, her final race before retirement. Over her career, Vonn has claimed two gold medals at the worlds, achieving a sweep in both the super-G and downhill at Val d’Isere, France, in 2009, and she has accumulated a total of eight medals overall.
Additionally, Vonn is the 2010 Olympic champion in downhill and holds two bronze medals from Olympic competitions. In a recent conversation, she highlighted that her primary objective for this comeback is to compete in the Milan-Cortina Olympics next year, where women’s skiing will take place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy—a venue where she notably holds the record for 12 wins.
Thursday coincided with exactly one year until the opening ceremony of the next Winter Games on February 6, 2026. Besides the downhill event, Vonn is also set to compete in the newly introduced team combined event on Tuesday.
