When Lindsey Vonn started preparing for the 2026 Winter Olympics, she did something that would make a lot of people panic at first glance. She intentionally put on about 12 pounds, and she says it has made her quicker on snow. Vonn, now 41, is one of the most decorated alpine skiers ever, and she is treating this change as a performance upgrade rather than a flaw. For her, the number on the scale is not the story, what matters is what the added muscle lets her do on the hill.
Vonn explained that the weight gain was not accidental, and it was not about chasing a certain look. “I gained muscle mass because skiing is a sport where gravity plays a big role, extra weight actually helps me,” she said. “The heavier I am, the faster I am. There’s no need for me to be skinny.” In speed events, momentum and stability can be just as important as being light, and she framed the change as a practical decision made for the demands of racing.
Her comments also touched on the emotional baggage many athletes carry around their bodies, especially in sports where cameras are always close. “Last year, because of stress, I lost a lot of weight and I worked a long time to get it back,” she said. “We need to be proud of our bodies and what they can achieve. I just need to be strong. And I am, I’m as strong as before, if not stronger.” It is a blunt reminder that weight shifts can reflect health, stress, and recovery, not just discipline or vanity.
The context behind her message is her surprising return to elite competition after stepping away in 2019. Over her career she piled up 84 World Cup wins and earned three Olympic medals, a resume that already puts her in rare territory. Now she has come back and secured a spot for the 2026 Games, which would make her the oldest woman to compete in Olympic alpine skiing. That kind of comeback invites scrutiny, so Vonn has chosen to get ahead of the conversation by openly describing what her training has required.
She also insisted that age is not the obstacle people assume it is. “I want to show people that age isn’t a weakness,” she said. “I love changing perceptions, and this is an incredible opportunity to do that.” She went even further by arguing that her years in the sport give her an advantage instead of a limitation. “In my case, age is even an advantage. As an experienced athlete, I have huge experience. I’ve skied these courses four times more than most,” she said. “Also, I love breaking records, so if I’m going to be the oldest woman at the Games, let me be.”
Her return also has a major physical chapter that makes her confidence sound even louder. Vonn came back from retirement in November 2024 after knee surgery that included getting a prosthesis, and she still managed to qualify for the Olympics. At a December press conference, she made it clear she believes her body is responding well to the work. “Physically, I’m probably in the best shape of my life,” she said. That kind of claim is easy to dismiss until you remember she is comparing herself to her own peak years, not to the average person.
She described the recent training cycle as focused and unusually strict, especially through the summer. She said her goal was to build real strength, and she felt she had been lighter than she wanted in the season before. “Last season I was slimmer than I wanted to be. I didn’t have enough time to prepare, and therefore not to regain muscle mass. I was significantly lighter than in the period of my best form,” she said. In other words, the extra pounds are not just weight, they represent targeted training time and a deliberate nutrition plan.
She also emphasized that adding roughly 12 pounds was not easy and did not happen by accident. “I’ve probably never been more disciplined when it comes to nutrition and my approach to training throughout the whole summer,” she said. “I put absolutely everything in so I could be as ready as possible.” The message is that elite preparation can look different depending on the sport, and sometimes it means pushing against cultural pressure to shrink rather than building what the event demands.
For readers who do not follow ski racing closely, it helps to know why this logic can hold up in alpine skiing, especially in downhill and super G. Alpine skiing is a gravity driven sport where athletes convert elevation into speed, then fight to keep that speed through turns and changing snow conditions. More muscle can improve power at the start, stability at high speeds, and control when the course gets rough. The World Cup circuit, which Vonn dominated for years, is the top annual series in the sport, and it is often where racers build the form and confidence that carries into the Winter Olympics. If you have ever watched downhill, you have seen how small shifts in balance and line choice can decide races, and that is why strength, experience, and resilience can matter as much as being light.
What do you think about Vonn’s approach to training and the idea that gaining weight can be a competitive advantage in certain sports, share your thoughts in the comments.
