Lindsey Vonn Talks Double Standard Between Men’s and Women’s Athletics

While Lindsey Vonn initially retired in February 2019, the alpine ski racer returned to her sport competitively in November 2024. And at the start of this year, she announced she would compete in the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. However, Vonn’s attempt at gold was cut short when she crashed approximately 13 seconds into her run on Feb. 8, ending her Olympic comeback and resulting in a complex tibia fracture.

After months of rehabilitation, which she has documented every step of the way for her adoring 3.6 million Instagram followers, Vonn is on the mend, recently getting back on her road bike and making major progress in the gym. And this week, Vonn joined former Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova for a brand-new episode of her Vox Media podcast, Pretty Tough.

During the hour-plus-long conversation, the two women chatted about everything from Vonn’s comeback to the social media backlash she received after her crash during the Milan Cortina Games. Vonn, 41, also spoke out against the notion that while men are often applauded for continuing to compete at a high level as they age, women are criticized for doing the same.

“Brady, Lewis, there’s so many athletes on the men’s side that continue to push the limit and continue to compete at an older age and at the highest level. But for some reason, for women, it’s not O.K.,” Vonn stated. “I think we have these social norms that we’re so glued to. You have to start a family by a certain time or life is supposed to work in this certain timeline … I just feel like we should have the opportunity to say, O.K., now is the time. I’m ready. Doesn’t matter how old we are. This is what I want to do.”

“I don’t know why we get so fixated on what women can and can’t do,” Vonn continued. “As opposed to just saying, Let’s all do what makes us happy and empower each other and support each other.”

When the 39-year-old former tennis pro asked Vonn when she feels she might be ready to address whether or not she will ski professionally again, the three-time Olympic medalist provided a timeline of spring 2027 for her consideration. She noted at that point, she should be out of the woods from what will (hopefully) be her final surgery in November.

“Once I’m back from that, then I feel like I’ll be able to like do a mental, physical wellness check and just see where I am,” Vonn stated, noting that presently, she’s still processing everything both mentally and physically.

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