Lindsey Vonn adds Aksel Lund Svindal as coach for 2026 Olympic run
Svindal, who like Vonn retired at the 2019 World Championships, will begin coaching Vonn in person at a training camp in Chile later this summer. He previously helped Vonn remotely last season, when she returned to ski racing for the first time in five years, according to a press release.
"Bringing Aksel onto my team for this season feels like a natural and incredibly exciting step," Vonn said in the release. "We've shared so much history on the mountain, from training to winning World Cup titles, and there's a deep level of trust and respect that's developed over the years."
Svindal will be Vonn's principal coach while Chris Knight, her coach last season, remains on her staff, according to The New York Times.
"I love skiing and I've stayed in contact with the sport after I retired," Svindal said in the release. "I was a bit surprised when Lindsey called me, but mostly honored. She is one of the absolutely greatest skiers of all time, and I'm very impressed by her determination in this comeback. She knows me quite well, so she wouldn't have asked unless she really thought I could contribute."
Vonn, who has Norwegian heritage, used to train with Svindal and fellow Norwegian ski racer Kjetil Jansrud.
"My known relatives have the surname 'Nilsen,' which Kjetil and Aksel enjoyed calling me on the hill, as a nickname of sorts," Vonn wrote in "Rise," her 2022 memoir.
In early 2020, Vonn watched her first ski race as a spectator since her first retirement. She shared the moment with Svindal, a gold medalist in 2010 (super-G) and 2018 (downhill).
"He's always been such a generous, positive sportsman, especially when it came to talking technique and helping other skiers, and he's brought the same attitude into his retirement," Vonn wrote. "As we watched our fellow racers, now from the other side, he shared such a great perspective. 'I love the sport, and I want other people to love it,' he said. 'Even though I can't do it anymore, I still want to share that passion.' When I heard his words, I felt my resentment of skiing begin to melt away. Aksel helped me remember why I did it in the first place — because I loved it. That epiphany brought me to a more balanced place. Now I know I can still appreciate skiing, that I will always have that same love for it. No one can ever take that away."
Vonn capped her comeback season by finishing second in her last race of the 2024-25 campaign — the super-G at March's World Cup Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Vonn, 40, shattered the record of oldest women's World Cup podium finisher. Austrian Alexandra Meissnitzer made her last podium at 34 years and nearly 9 months old in 2008, according to ski-db.com.
'I usually do better when the pressure's higher,' Vonn, an 82-time World Cup winner and the 2010 Olympic downhill champion, said that day. 'It's the last race of the season. I just put it all on the line. This is the level that I know I can ski. I know I can even do better than that. It's been a rough season of people saying that I can't, that I'm too old, that I'm not good enough anymore. I think I proved everyone wrong.'
Vonn's goal in her comeback is to make her fifth Olympic team in 2026, then retire for good.
A nation can qualify up to four skiers per Olympic race, and Vonn was the third-ranked American last season in the downhill and second in the super-G. The Olympic team for the Milan Cortina Games will be named in the winter closer to the February Games.
IOC's Christophe Dubi discusses 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic prep with 200 days to go
Christophe Dubi discussed venue preparation, authorized neutral athletes and one Olympic gold medalist's request for a schedule change.
Nick Zaccardi,
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Sha'Carri Richardson breaks silence on arrest over airport incident with boyfriend
U.S. gold medalist sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson said she is seeking 'a certain level of help' in her first comments since her July 27 arrest for an alleged domestic violence incident at a Seattle airport. Richardson, 25, shoved her boyfriend, U.S. sprinter Christian Coleman, multiple times at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, as seen on security footage. 7 Richardson in the video she posted to her Instagram Story. @itsshacarri/Instagram 'More than anything, definitely a lot of self reflection, a lot of understanding of not only putting myself in a compromising situation with somebody that I have a deep care and appreciation for as well, is something that — holding myself accountable,' Richardson said in a minute-plus video posted to her Instagram Story late Monday night. 'I'm taking this time to not only see myself but get myself a certain level of help that overall is going to reflect who I truly am in my heart and in my spirit and not allowing this moment, but accepting this moment to be more. 'So my only thing is, I want to be more — not just only for myself, for my family, my fans. I overly appreciate y'all supporting me and showing love and even holding me accountable to being my best self. So more than anything, I refused to run away … but face everything that comes to me head-on because everything on the other side is greater but you gotta go through in order to get there.' Richardson, who won a gold in the 4x100m relay and a silver in the 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, allegedly had a fiery argument with Coleman that turned physical last month, per The Athletic. An officer looked at security footage that showed Richardson allegedly grab Coleman's backpack and pull it, before she purportedly shoved him into a wall while he tried to evade her. 7 Richardson and Coleman (middle-left) at the airport. TMZ Sports 7 Richardson and Coleman during their dispute. TMZ Sports 7 Richardson was captured shoving Coleman multiple itmes. TMZ Sports The footage revealed that Richardson shoved Coleman multiple times. Richardson also 'appeared' to throw what may have been headphones at Coleman, according to the Associated Press, and she was arrested on a fourth-degree domestic violence assault. Richardson spent roughly 19 hours at the SCORE South Correctional Entity, and The Athletic reported earlier this month that the case had been cleared by the Port of Seattle Police Department. 7 Richardson also posted this photo to her Story. @itsshacarri/Instagram 7 Christian Coleman said his girlfriend should not have been arrested. CITIUS MAG/X Coleman, 29, did not press charges and 'declined to be a victim,' per the AP. He felt his girlfriend of more than two years should not have been arrested. 'For me personally, I feel like it was a sucky situation all round,' Coleman said on Aug. 3. 'I don't feel like she should have been arrested. I mean people have discussions and emotions and stuff like that. She has things that she needs to work on for herself, of course. So do I, so do you, so does everybody. 'But I'm the type of guy who's in the business of extending grace, and mercy and love. I hate the narrative too … its so negative. In the state of Seattle, even talking to the cop to whatever, he was like, 'There is really nothing I can do.'' 7 Richardson during the U.S. Championships on Aug. 3, 2025. AP He added: 'She just has a lot of things going on, a lot of emotions and forces going on inside of her that not only I can't understand, but nobody can because she's one of one. And I'm one of one too… She's going to be just fine. I'm going to be good too. So, it is what it is.' Richardson competed at the 2025 U.S. track. and field championships following the arrest, ultimately withdrawing from the 100-meter and finishing fourth in her 200-meter heat. She missed out on the rescheduled 2020 Olympics in 2021 due to a positive marijuana test.
Wall Street Journal
2 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
America's Ryder Cup Team Is Scottie Scheffler and a Whole Bunch of Question Marks
When the latest edition of the Ryder Cup tees off next month, there's no question which side boasts the best player. Since the last edition of this biennial showdown, Scottie Scheffler has won three majors, an Olympic gold medal and more than twice as many events as anyone else on the PGA Tour. Altogether, the American has put together the most dominant stretch of golf since Tiger Woods at his peak.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
I never believed Everton would pull off Jack Grealish transfer - now the pressure is on him
Signing Jack Grealish would be massive for Everton. The 29-year-old is the type of marquee addition that can transform a summer and add excitement from the stands to the dressing room. There may be questions over how David Moyes plans to use him - in Iliman Ndiaye, Carlos Alcaraz, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Dwight McNeil he suddenly has a lot of options in the wide left and central attacking positions - but he will raise standards and intensify competition for places. He will also help move Everton towards the targets Moyes has repeatedly set since he returned in January. Since achieving his first priority and steering the Blues to safety his message has been about showing ambition - this is certainly a move that does that. READ MORE: Jack Grealish medical due as Everton make huge transfer breakthrough READ MORE: Everton new future is here after stunning first glimpse of full Hill Dickinson Stadium Speculation around Everton and Grealish has persisted all summer, but I'm not sure I ever believed the club would pull off such a deal. The financial side of the move always looked challenging, even on loan, and Manchester City appeared keen to earn a transfer fee. Now it looks like it will become reality, I am excited at the idea of watching Grealish line up in Royal Blue. The question many will ask is whether Moyes can get a tune out of him but I think the pressure here is on the player. His last year has been a difficult one that has seen him fall out of favour at the Etihad despite being such a big part of the team that won the treble. He seems a nice guy and a people person - can he show the attitude to go out and prove his critics and doubters wrong? Can he show he still has the talent and hunger that made him the star man at Aston Villa and convinced Pep Guardiola to sanction a £100m deal for him? There is a place in the hearts of Everton supporters if he can - as well as the prospect of earning a return to the England squad in a World Cup year. There are real incentives for him to make this move work. It has been clear in the hours since a deal became likely that he is a name that sparks excitement among supporters. He will do the same in the dressing room. It reminds me of my time at Manchester City, when the first big signings started to come into the club. All of a sudden the ambition began to feel real. Grealish's presence will lift the quality at Finch Farm. It will provide inspiration to the youngsters in and around the first team and create a buzz among teammates. Yes, some will be worried where they now fit in, but Everton have not had competition for places for some time. Those already at the club will now have to show they are willing to fight for their place and everyone should benefit as a result. We've been through such a difficult period at Everton, the last few years have been so tough. This is a signing that matches the ambition shown by the new stadium - hopefully Grealish will make an historic year even more special.
