Athletes Vonn and Svindal gear up for the Winter Olympics
Lindsey Vonn Taps Aksel Lund Svindal as Lead Coach for Olympic Preparation
Lindsey Vonn, the two-time Olympic gold medallist, has announced that Aksel Lund Svindal, another decorated skier, will serve as her lead coach for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Svindal, a two-time Olympic gold medallist himself, will provide in-person coaching and strategic guidance during training and competition, starting with a training camp in Chile in summer 2025.
Svindal's role in Vonn's Olympic season preparation is significant. He will be working alongside Chris Knight, Vonn's previous coach, to support her comeback effort. Prior to becoming her official coach, Svindal provided remote support during Vonn's return to competitive skiing after a five-year hiatus.
Both athletes share a long history of friendship and mutual respect, having trained together over the past 20 years and even retired at the same event in 2019. Svindal's role is focused on helping Vonn push boundaries during her comeback, leveraging his experience as a champion and his passion for skiing.
Vonn regards this coaching collaboration as a "huge boost" and a way to gain the "extra edge" necessary for a highly ambitious campaign aiming for a fifth Olympic appearance. The partnership is seen as a meeting of two alpine skiing legends, collectively boasting over 100 World Cup wins and multiple Olympic and World Championship medals.
Vonn now races with a partial knee prosthesis. She won Olympic gold in downhill in 2010, a year in which Svindal also took gold in super-G. Svindal added an Olympic title in downhill eight years later. Both athletes retired in 2019.
The winter Olympic Games will be held from February 6 to 22 in Italy. Lindsey Vonn plans to go for more medals in Cortina d'Ampezzo during the Olympics, marking the location where she plans to wrap up her career. The new World Cup season begins on October 25 and 26 in Austria's Sölden. Lindsey Vonn is excited for the journey ahead with Aksel Lund Svindal.
[1] BBC News
[2] USA Today
[3] Ski Racing
Despite their shared retirement in 2019, Lindsey Vonn and Aksel Lund Svindal reunite as coach and athlete for Vonn's Olympic comeback in hockey, a sport that neither has previously competed in. The former skiing champions aim to leverage their combined expertise and passion for sports to help Vonn pursue her fifth Olympic appearance.
