LINDSEY Vonn is reportedly plotting her return to skiing at the age of 40.
The glam Olympic legend retired in 2019, after suffering a series of knee injuries.
However, back in April she went under the knife again and had knee replacement surgery.
It has now been revealed she will mark her return to competition, following a five-year absence, at the World Cup opener in Sölden, Austria.
Away from the sport, Vonn’s fame has been boosted by shocking fans by posing nude and her much-publicised love life.
With all her medal victories and other successes, Lindsey Vonn has a net worth of £11million – or $14 million.
She has written two books – Rise: My Story and Strong Is The New Beautiful – but is most famous for her other antics.
Getting naked
Back in 2016, Vonn wowed fans when she stripped off to promote her book, Strong Is The New Beautiful.
Completely naked, but for a pair of skis, the blonde beauty was crouched down like she would be on the slopes in the photo.
The book was described as a fitness motivation guide designed to be “the perfect companion for living life to the fullest.”
It divulged her diet secrets, and urged its readers to “embrace your natural beauty, eat clean and harness your power.”
Vonn has always been candid when its come to promoting her body and talking about her sex life.
Back in 2018, she won bronze at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
On her return home to the US she was quizzed by TMZ at LAX Airport if she had got lucky in the Olympic Village.
A reported 110,000 condoms were handed out to athletes, with the village rumoured to be a hive of sexual activity.
Von confessed: “It wasn’t going down for me, I’ll tell you what.
“There’s definitely a lot of hype, there’s a lot of hype with it, but I don’t know, you’d have to ask someone else who got lucky ’cause I didn’t.”
Bikini babe
Over the years, Sports Illustrated have celebrated sports women and their bodies.
The likes of USA soccer star Alex Morgan and Danica Patrick have posed for the magazine in the past.
But none of those have done it as regularly as Vonn.
Incredibly, she has appeared in three separate photoshoots, including the famed Swimsuit Edition in 2019.
Before that, she also featured in a shoot wearing just body paint in 2016.
In the interview she said of her posterior: “I’ve got a lot of junk in my trunk. It’s full; it’s a full trunk.”
Speaking about Sports Illustrated’s role in elevating her recently, she explained: “Sports Illustrated gave me a voice both on and off the slopes.
“They gave me a voice and let me show who I am outside of my race gear.
“It’s been a long time since I first set my skis on the snow and the world has changed a lot since then but SI has always been there to tell stories of sport that inspired me as a kid, and thankfully will continue to inspire others.”
Channeling Sharon Stone
In another shoot with ESPN magazine, Vonn paid homage to Hollywood star Sharon Stone and her role in Basic Instinct.
The gold medallist, who bares a striking resemblance to the stunning actress, recreated the steamy film’s leg-crossing scene, with behind-the-scenes content filmed and shared online.
In the clip, Von says: “Hey this is Lindsey Vonn and we are in Vail, Colorado and we are shooting a scene from Basic Instinct and I am Sharon Stone.”
She then recreates one of the famous lines from the movie: “What are you going to do charge me for smoking?”
read more sport features
It’s not the first time Vonn has tried her hand at acting.
In 2010, she begged producers for a guest spot on her favourite show, Law and Order.
They obliged by her handing her a small role as a desk clerk.
Famous exes
Vonn’s love life has been followed widely by the American press.
The 5ft 10in stunner was once married – to fellow Olympic skier Thomas Vonn, who she met when she was just 16.
They said their ‘I do’s’ in a ceremony at the Silver Lake Lodge in Deer Valley, Utah.
After four years of marriage the couple announced their divorce.
In 2013, Vonn became part of a sporting power coupe when she began dating Tiger Woods, who she met at a charity event a year earlier.
She was often seen on the PGA Tour cheering her beau, until they broke up in 2015.
Woods later said of split: “Well, with Lindsey, what was hard is we never had time together.
“And I can’t travel because I have the kids—my off weeks, I’m devoted to my kids—and I have to be here.”
The golf legend added: “It just could not work. It was doing an injustice to both of us.”
After Woods, Vonn was linked with NFL coach Kenan Smith, and dated NHL star P.K. Subban.
She looked set to marry the ice hockey star, when they got engaged, bought a £5.2million Beverly Hills home together, as well as became members of the ownership group of women’s soccer team Angel City FC.
However, they announced their surprising split on Instagram in 2020.
Since 2021, Von has been dating Diego Osorio, co-founder of tequila company Lobos 1707, which received investment from LeBron James.
Her love life might have to play second fiddle now she’s back in competition.