Most 40-year-olds aren’t planning a comeback to elite sport, but Lindsey Vonn isn’t like most athletes. After stepping away from World Cup skiing in 2019 due to chronic pain, she returned to competition in 2025 with a robot-assisted partial knee replacement that changed what’s possible in alpine racing. Here’s the full picture of her health, career, and life right now.

Age: 40 (born October 18, 1984) ·
World Cup wins: 82 ·
Olympic gold medals: 1 (downhill, 2010) ·
World Championship medals: 7 ·
Knee replacement surgery: MAKO-assisted robotic partial knee replacement (2024) ·
Comeback to World Cup racing: 2025 (at age 40)

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
3Timeline signal
4What’s next

Eight key facts about Lindsey Vonn, one pattern: her career has been defined by resilience — a mix of record-setting triumphs and medical comebacks that keep pushing the boundaries of what an alpine skier can achieve.

Attribute Value
Full name Lindsey Caroline Vonn (née Kildow)
Date of birth October 18, 1984
Age 40 (as of 2025)
World Cup wins 82
Olympic medal count 1 gold, 2 bronze
World Championship medals 7 (2 gold)
Major surgery MAKO robotic partial knee replacement (2024)
Comeback year 2025

What is Lindsey Vonn’s condition now?

  • MAKO-assisted robotic partial knee replacement
  • Return to World Cup skiing at age 40
  • Physical therapy and recovery milestones

Lindsey Vonn’s current condition is competitive but managed with medical support. She underwent a robot-assisted partial knee replacement in April 2024, performed by orthopedic surgeon Martin Roche in South Florida, as reported by ABC News (U.S. news network). The procedure involved removing part of the bone in her right knee and replacing it with two titanium pieces, a technique ABC characterized as the first of its kind in World Cup skiing.

Her comeback to World Cup racing began in December 2024. She made her first start in St. Moritz on December 21, finishing 14th in super-G, per Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference). By March 8, 2025, she earned her first podium of the comeback — third place in a super-G in Åre, Sweden, according to CNN (global news outlet). Just weeks later on March 23, she finished second in the World Cup super-G in Sun Valley, Idaho, behind Lara Gut-Behrami.

“Age is merely a number.”

— Lindsey Vonn, as quoted by USA Today (U.S. national newspaper)

USA Today reported that Vonn was the oldest woman at age 40 to ever reach a World Cup podium. The new knee alleviated chronic pain she had endured for years, allowing her to train and race without the constant discomfort that forced her 2019 retirement.

The paradox

Vonn’s titanium-enhanced knee isn’t a disadvantage — it’s an upgrade. The robot-assisted procedure gave her a joint that performs as well as, if not better than, her original knee, enabling a comeback most athletes wouldn’t risk.

Bottom line: The implication: Vonn is proving that modern orthopedic surgery can extend elite athletic careers beyond traditional age limits. For someone who retired at 34 citing pain, racing at 40 with a titanium knee is a radical reversal.

Who is Lindsey Vonn in a relationship with?

  • Past relationships: Tiger Woods and others
  • Current relationship status (as of 2025)
  • Impact of personal life on career

Lindsey Vonn was previously married to Thomas Vonn from 2007 until their divorce in 2013, citing personal differences and the demands of her racing schedule. After the divorce, she dated pro golfer Tiger Woods from 2013 to 2015, a high-profile relationship that drew significant media attention.

As of 2025, she is not publicly known to be in a serious relationship. Vonn has kept her personal life relatively private since the Woods relationship ended, and neither she nor any representative has confirmed a current partner. The divorce settlement details remain private.

Vonn has moved on and remains close with her ex-husband’s family.

— Based on biographical records from Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference)

The pattern: Vonn’s personal relationships have never stopped her from competing at the highest level. Her divorce and subsequent dating life played out in public, but her focus on skiing remained constant throughout.

Does Lindsey Vonn have a prosthetic?

  • Partial knee replacement vs. prosthetic limb
  • How MAKO robotic surgery works
  • Difference from full knee replacement

Lindsey Vonn does not have a prosthetic limb. She underwent a partial knee replacement, not a full amputation or prosthetic fitting. The surgery was a MAKO-assisted robotic partial knee replacement, a procedure where a robotic arm assists the surgeon in precisely removing damaged cartilage and bone, then fitting a metal implant.

Vonn described it as having “part of the bone in her right knee cut off and replaced with two titanium pieces,” per ABC News (U.S. news network). This is fundamentally different from a full knee replacement, where the entire knee joint is replaced, and very different from a prosthetic limb. She continues to ski on her own legs without any external prosthesis.

The trade-off

A partial replacement preserves more natural tissue than a full replacement, which helps elite athletes maintain joint function and recovery speed. Vonn’s case was considered groundbreaking for a skier of her age and competitive demands.

Does Lindsey Vonn have a child?

  • Lindsey Vonn’s family plans
  • Role as ‘dog mom’
  • Public statements about children

Lindsey Vonn does not have any children. She has referred to herself as a “dog mom” and has two dogs that she frequently features on social media. She has not publicly announced plans to have children.

The evidence from every credible source — Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference), Olympics.com (official Olympic database), and multiple news outlets — confirms she has no children. Her family includes her younger sisters and her parents, but no offspring.

The catch: for an athlete who has dedicated her life to elite sport, the question of children is a personal one with no public resolution. Vonn has not offered a timeline or expressed a desire one way or the other in recent interviews.

Why did Lindsey Vonn leave her husband?

  • Marriage to Thomas Vonn (2007-2013)
  • Divorce details and reasons
  • Life after divorce

Lindsey Vonn married Thomas Vonn, a fellow alpine ski racer, in 2007. They divorced in 2013, with the split widely attributed to “personal differences and the demands of her racing schedule,” as summarized in biographical records from Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference). The divorce was finalized in early 2013 after a year-long separation.

Specific financial details of the divorce settlement were never made public. Thomas Vonn has largely remained out of the spotlight since the separation, and Lindsey has spoken about the divorce only in general terms, citing the difficulty of maintaining a relationship while traveling the World Cup circuit 10 months a year.

What this means: the divorce marked a turning point in Vonn’s personal life but didn’t slow her career. She won 12 World Cup races in the two years following the split, suggesting that the end of her marriage freed her to focus entirely on skiing.

Timeline of key events

  • October 18, 1984: Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • 2004: First World Cup podium
  • 2010: Won Olympic gold in downhill; two bronze medals (Olympics.com (official Olympic database))
  • 2013: Divorced Thomas Vonn
  • 2014: Sochi Olympics — did not medal due to injury
  • 2019: Retired from skiing after World Championships
  • April 2024: Underwent MAKO-assisted robotic partial knee replacement (ABC News (U.S. news network))
  • December 21, 2024: Returned to World Cup racing in St. Moritz
  • March 8, 2025: First podium of comeback — 3rd place in Åre, Sweden (CNN (global news outlet))
  • March 23, 2025: Second place in Sun Valley super-G — oldest female podium finisher (NPR (U.S. public radio network))
Additional sources

nypost.com, theguardian.com, cnn.com, news.hss.edu, redbull.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com, lainatesti.fi

Her return to World Cup skiing at age 40 was made possible by her robotic knee replacement, a procedure that has drawn widespread attention.

Frequently asked questions

Is Lindsey Vonn still skiing in 2025?

Yes. She made a comeback to World Cup racing in December 2024 and competed through the 2025 season, finishing second in a super-G event on March 23, 2025, per CNN (global news outlet).

What injury required Lindsey Vonn’s knee replacement?

Years of high-impact skiing led to chronic knee pain and cartilage damage in her right knee, which forced her 2019 retirement. The partial replacement in 2024 addressed this damage.

How does MAKO robotic surgery work for knee replacement?

MAKO uses a robotic arm guided by 3D imaging to precisely remove damaged bone and place a metal implant. It’s less invasive than traditional surgery and allows faster recovery, according to ABC News (U.S. news network).

Did Lindsey Vonn win an Olympic gold medal?

Yes. She won gold in the women’s downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, plus bronze medals in super-G (2010) and downhill (2018), per Olympics.com (official Olympic database).

What is Lindsey Vonn’s net worth?

Estimated at approximately $12 million, derived from prize money, endorsements, and sponsorships over her career, as reported by Celebrity Net Worth (financial estimates site).

Has Lindsey Vonn ever been married?

Yes. She was married to fellow skier Thomas Vonn from 2007 until their divorce in 2013.

Does Lindsey Vonn have any siblings?

Yes. She has two younger sisters, Laura and Karin Kildow, according to Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference).

What is Lindsey Vonn’s height and weight?

She stands at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and weighs approximately 160 lbs (73 kg), per her athlete profile on Olympics.com (official Olympic database).

Lindsey Vonn’s 2025 comeback is more than a second act — it’s a case study in how modern medicine rewrites athletic timelines. For every competitor who thought 40 was too old, or that chronic injury meant the end, Vonn’s titanium knee and two podiums in one comeback season say otherwise. For the skiing world, the choice is no longer whether to accept aging athletes. It’s whether to believe what’s now possible.