On August 27, 2022, Lindsey Vonn reached out and held her mother Linda Krohn’s hand. It’s been exactly one year since the 70-year-old was diagnosed with ALS. It would be their last day together.

‘He passed away peacefully,’ Vonn said at the time. ‘He was a bright light that will never go out and I will forever be inspired by him.’

Linda had been in pain since the day Lindsey was born. She had a stroke during birth. It is fatal 75 percent of the time and he is left with a small paralysis in his left leg.

Linda remembered nothing of the first seven weeks of Lindsey’s life; The stroke also prevented him from climbing the mountain to watch his daughter become a skiing prodigy.

But Linda never complained. Instead, he helped as much as he could; He drove 16 hours from their home in Minnesota to the slopes of Vail, Colorado. Lindsey would be in the back sleeping under a recliner while Linda sang to Eric Clapton.

Its effect continues. That much was clear on Thursday when the 40-year-old footballer announced his return to the ski slopes; five years after he hung up his boots and 22 years since he first joined the national team.

US ski legend Lindsey Vonn makes stunning comeback five years after retirement

‘I feel like I have a responsibility to myself and to him to live every day to my maximum potential and never have any regrets,’ Vonn said. he told the New York Times after confirming its return. ‘I feel like if I don’t try now I’ll regret it.’

He now plans to return to the World Cup circuit as early as next month. He also has one eye on the 2026 Winter Olympics. This would be his fifth Games. He is already one of the most decorated skiers of all time; he won three Olympic medals and every other major championship. Among the other trophies he’s collected along the way? A cow and a goat he named Laura.

These achievements placed him alongside the biggest names in the sports world. Vonn has become close to Roger Federer, who retires in 2022 – as she told him – ‘squeezing out every drop of lemon’.

Vonn believes she has some ‘juice’ left in her and is inspired by LeBron James, who turns 40 next month but remains a powerhouse in the NBA.

Vonn is already a legend in her sport. He has been compared to Michael Phelps and has actually been surrounded by greatness his entire life.

His father, Alan, was a junior national ski champion. Her ex-husband – Thomas Vonn – is an Olympian, and since then Vonn has also dated NFL coach Kenan Smith, NHL defenseman PK Subban and… Tiger Woods.

They split in 2015 after nearly three years together; As DailyMail.com reveals, Woods cheated on the Olympic gold medalist. Two years later, Vonn ran into Donald Trump ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The three-time Olympic medalist signals the possibility of returning to the Games in Italy in 2026

The skier said he hoped to represent the American people rather than the president and that he would not accept any invitation to the White House. He rarely confined himself to the slopes. Vonn has posed for Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, participated in a rap battle, and hosted the dog reality show The Pack.

Meanwhile, her ski career has taken Vonn to heights few can reach, but it’s also resulted in some bruising lows.

‘He’d rather die than not succeed,’ said a former coach. Vonn flirted with danger every time she walked out of the gates, and it came with a price.

The 40-year-old actor had knee replacement surgery seven months ago. After numerous surgeries and several bruising injuries, he had reached the ‘end of the road’.

Vonn hasn’t been able to straighten her right leg for nearly 10 years. The problem spread to her hips, back and neck.

Vonn limped away from the sport in February 2019. He had no intention of returning. But 10 weeks after surgeons opened her up once again, Vonn was back on the runway.

Apparently the operation allowed him to turn back time. Vonn was again able to ski without pain. Now he is chasing another golden dream.

The American player was just 17 years old when he won the Olympic title in Salt Lake City in 2022. He participated in three more games and does not rule out reaching 5th place in 2026.

‘The Olympics are what I’ve wanted for myself my whole life,’ Vonn said in 2010.

Minnesota isn’t known for its slopes, but he started ‘carving the local hill when he was just three years old.’ By the age of seven he was competing. By the age of nine, Vonn was competing in international events. He soon outgrew Minnesota, and so the whole family settled in Colorado.

Vonn continued to climb new heights, making her first World Cup podium finish two decades ago in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the site of the 2026 Olympics.

The American won three Olympic medals and captured every other major title

She has 82 World Cup victories, the second most among female skiers. Vonn still holds other records, including the most victories by anyone, male or female, in a single discipline. No one has more than his 43 downhill wins and 28 super-G victories.

In 2010 in Vancouver, she became the first American woman to win an Olympic downhill gold medal. Four years ago, two days before his race in Turin, the American was hospitalized after a brutal 60 mph crash that sent him flying 10 feet into the air.

Despite initial fears that she might have broken her back and pelvis, Vonn dragged her bruised body out of the hospital and limped toward the starting line. Remarkably, he finished eighth.

Vonn had no such luck at the 2013 World Championships when she was airlifted off the mountain after suffering MCL and ACL tears. Three years later he broke his arm.

By 2019, he couldn’t take it anymore. ‘My body is broken beyond repair,’ he said. ‘My body is screaming at me to stop and it’s time for me to listen.’ Vonn is now free of pain and, at age 40, is listening once again.