At that time, she'd already won three Olympic medals and 82 World Cups, per NBC News.
Driving the comeback: Vonn told the New York Times that a successful knee surgery has allowed her to ski pain-free and opened the door for her to rejoin Team USA.
She's been training in Europe and New Zealand since late summer and is hoping to return to the racing circuit as soon as this winter.
What she's saying: "I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself because I have quite a few hoops to jump through," she said. "Obviously, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't hope to be racing. I have aspirations. I love to go fast. How fast can I go? I don't know."
What we're watching: Whether Vonn competes in the 2026 Olympics.