Lindsey Vonn Taps Aksel Lund Svindal For 2026 Oympic Coach

In the midst of an audacious comeback, Lindsey Vonn has a legendary ally in her corner. The 2010 Olympic downhill champion named longtime friend and Norwegian ski racing icon Aksel Lund Svindal as her coach and equipment strategist as she ramps up for a highly-anticipated return to the Winter Olympics at Milan-Cortina in 2026.

Vonn, 40, stunned the ski world last season when she rejoined the U.S. Ski Team five years after retiring due to a series of devastating knee injuries.

“Bringing Aksel onto my team for this season feels like a natural and incredibly exciting step,” Vonn said Wednesday. “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.”

That history is undeniable. Combined, Vonn and Svindal share a staggering 118 World Cup Victories, 218 podiums, and four Olympic gold medals. As 2026 approaches, they present a formidable duo.

Vonn will kick off training for Cortina with a high-altitude camp in Chile later this summer.

For Svindal, who retired in 2019 after winning Olympic super-G gold in PyeongChang, the move into coaching is new. But with his expertise and long-standing friendship with Vonn, the new role is seamless. The two shared countless race weekends and rehab battles over the years and have remained close friends since stepping away from the circuit.

When Vonn does line up at Milan-Cortina, she’ll become one of the oldest Alpine racers in Olympic history. Not to mention, the only one competing with a fully reconstructed metal knee. But if anyone has the grit and drive to pull it off, it’s Lindsey Vonn.