Lindsey Vonn had plenty going on during her nearly six years of “retirement.” All those ventures are on hold now, though. That’s because Vonn recently came out of retirement and is back ski racing at the age of 40 — currently at the world championships and preparing to chase a medal in Saturday’s downhill on her new titanium knee.

A veteran ski journalist explains Lindsey Vonn’s return to downhill racing: why she retired, how her body changed, and what’s at stake when hurtling down a slope on an artificial knee

Lindsey Vonn has completed pre-race inspection and is planning on competing in the super-G at the Alpine skiing world championships despite feeling sick with “a cold or the flu.”