Lindsey Vonn Is ‘Chasing Dreams, Pushing Limits’ With New ‘TIME’ Magazine Cover

The professional skier opened up about her return to racing, honoring her mom and aiming for a second Olympic medal at 41.

Lindsey Vonn / Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Turns out retirement was just a warm-up for Lindsey Vonn. Her comeback story just got even better.

The 41-year-old is gearing up for the ultimate comeback: an Olympic return in 2026. But before she takes on Cortina, she’s celebrating a new kind of podium: gracing the cover of TIME’s October issue, where Vonn is being recognized for her athletic record and, more importantly, for breaking boundaries.

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“I’m just a girl from Minnesota who wanted to ski fast,” Vonn wrote on Instagram. “But this cover means I’ve done a lot more in my life than just ski fast. I’m still chasing dreams, still pushing limits, still believing in what’s possible. My hope is that anyone reading this remembers: never give up on yourself.”

The road back

After retiring in 2019 with 82 World Cup victories, Vonn underwent a partial knee replacement in 2024 that transformed her body and her mindset. Within weeks, she was back in high heels. Then, on skis. And soon after, whispering plans of an Olympic comeback to her team.

Lindsey Vonn competes in the women's Super-G during the STIFEL FIS World Cup Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. / Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Her goal is a shot at another Olympic medal in Cortina d’Ampezzo—the same place where she landed her first World Cup podium over 20 years ago. If successful, she’d surpass her own current record as the oldest female alpine Olympic medalist of all time.

“People might not know what I’ve done on the mountain,” she continued in her caption. “But they know that no matter how many times I fall, I will always pick myself back up.”

Flipping the script

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Comebacks are never easy, especially not in a sport that’s unrelenting on the body, and even less forgiving of women aging in the spotlight. Critics called her delusional. Fellow legends told her she had “gone completely mad.” One even suggested she “see a psychologist.” But Vonn didn’t flinch. In fact, she got the Greek word for “believe” tattooed on her middle finger years ago.

“I don’t need this,” she told TIME. “I’m doing it because I love it. It’s fun and it’s a challenge.”

The legacy she’s writing

Since retirement, Vonn has launched a skiwear line, co-directed a documentary, sat on the advisory board of a female-led venture firm and raised over $1 million through her foundation to support young girls in sports and academics. She’s built a life that’s full—but the mountain still calls.

“My mom would be disappointed in me if I didn’t take [this opportunity],” she said of the late Linda Krohn, who passed in 2022. “One thing that my mom’s really given me is the ability to pick myself back up. That’s what she did her whole life, and I’ll never stop doing that.”

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Whether or not she medals in 2026, one thing’s for sure: Vonn has “already won—because I’ve followed my heart, my passion, and my purpose.”

Fans react to TIME cover

“I don’t think I can ‘heart’ this enough. On every level. Spectacular!” SI Swimsuit editor in Chief MJ Day commented. Vonn has posed for the issue three separate years, including 2010, 2016 and 2019.

“WOW!!! Look at that ICON🥇❤️👑,” Reese Witherspoon exclaimed.

“This is the stuff that legends are made of. Behind every success lie thousands of hours of training, tears, pain, sweat. Every time you fell down, you got back up stronger. You are an example, and I am proud to live in the same era so that I can see this legend doing what she loves. RESPECT LINDSEY CAROLINE VONN for everything you do and everything you are,” one fan gushed.

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