Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn announced on Thursday that she is coming out of retirement.

In an interview with The New York Times, Vonn said she had no intention of returning to the sport, but after having replacement
surgery on her right knee this year, she was no longer experiencing pain when she skied.

“I had a smile so wide it was coming through the back of my helmet,” Vonn said.

The 40-year-old plans to officially rejoin the U.S. ski team this week and work toward racing on the World Cup circuit as soon as December.

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U.S. Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt told The Associated Press that she's happy to have Vonn back.

"We’re excited to have her back on snow and see where she can go from here," she said.

As for expectations, the world champion skier said she won't put herself in a position to fail, but she's also giving herself some grace.

“Obviously, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t hope to be racing," she said. "I have aspirations. I love to go fast. How fast can I go? I don’t know."

Vonn last competed in 2019 — before retiring due to injuries. Her career includes more than 80 World Cup wins, a gold and two bronze Olympic medals.

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