Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is ending her retirement at age 40 to make a skiing comeback

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Lindsey Vonn is coming out of retirement to rejoin the U.S. Ski Team, she announced Thursday, intending to race again at age 40 — and six years after her last Olympics.

Vonn is a three-time Olympic medalist, including a downhill gold and super-G bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Games, and a bronze in the downhill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She is also a four-time overall World Cup champion and owns eight world championships medals.

Her 82 World Cup race victories stood as the record for a woman until that total was eclipsed in January 2023 by American Mikaela Shiffrin, who is still active and is now up to 97 wins — more than any Alpine ski racer in the history of the sport.

Before eclipsing Vonn's total, Shiffrin said: "I don’t know if I could fill Lindsey’s shoes, the way that she has worn them.”

Vonn's last competition came in February 2019, after she dealt with a long series of injuries throughout her career.

There were broken arms and legs, torn knee ligaments, concussions and more.

Just this April, years after leaving the World Cup circuit, she had surgery for a partial knee replacement.

Vonn has been training in recent months, U.S. Ski & Snowboard said Thursday.

“Getting back to skiing without pain has been an incredible journey,” Vonn said, adding that she wants to "continue to share my knowledge of the sport with these incredible women” on the American roster.

Vonn is back with the team effective immediately, but it is not yet known which particular races she will be aiming to enter. The first downhill — her specialty — during the current World Cup season will be held at Beaver Creek, Colorado, in December.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said Vonn’s “dedication and passion towards Alpine skiing is inspiring, and we’re excited to have her back on snow and see where she can go from here.”

The next Winter Olympics are in Italy in February 2026, and while it's not clear whether Vonn plans to participate, the women's Alpine skiing events will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo on the course where she holds the record of 12 victories.

Vonn can benefit from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation’s new wild-card rule, which allows former champions to get decent starting numbers for races if they come out of retirement — without having to regain ranking points in lower-level races.

Eight-time overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher took advantage of the new rule and recently returned after five years away.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

FILE - Bronze medalist Lindsey Vonn of the United States hold the Stars and Stripes during the flower ceremony for the Women's super-G at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Feb. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer, File)

FILE - Bronze medal winner Lindsey Vonn, of the United States, smiles during the flower ceremony for the women's downhill at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Jeongseon, South Korea, Feb. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

FILE - Lindsey Vonn of the United States, reacts in the finish area after completing the Women's downhill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia, Feb. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Gero Breloer, File)

TURIN, Italy (AP) — There “could have been better communication” in explaining the rules involved in Jannik Sinner's doping case, ATP Tour chairman Andrea Gaudenzi acknowledged Thursday.

However, Gaudenzi said at the ATP Finals that anyone hinting that a “double standard” was applied because of top-ranked Sinner’s status is “unfair because the rules have been the same.”

Sinner is playing at home this week for the first time since it was announced before his U.S. Open title that he tested positive for an anabolic steroid in two separate drug tests in March.

The case wasn't made public until August.

“I learned the day before we all learned,” Gaudenzi said in his first public comments on the case. He spoke in a round-table discussion with international reporters.

“And to be honest, I’m happy about that. I really thank the ITA (International Testing Agency) and our representatives there for intentionally keeping me and our entire team in the dark because that’s how it should be.

“It should be completely independent and that was agreed by the (parties). It was a shock, but obviously comforted by the evidence afterward.”

A decision by an independent tribunal to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in September and the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is expected to make a final ruling on the case early next year.

Sinner’s explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger.

WADA is seeking a ban of one to two years for Sinner.

“We are completely external and it’s (an) independent process,” Gaudenzi said. “I generally think has been a fair process. It was really done by the book and by the rules. Maybe there could have been better communication in explaining those rules, and that is something that I would urge every party involved to work better in the next time.”

Gaudenzi said he plans to announce on Sunday the future host of the ATP Finals. The contract with Turin expires next year and there is an option to move the event to nearby Milan at a bigger arena being built for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

United States' Taylor Fritz serves the ball to Australia's Alex de Minaur during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner holds the trophy as ATP world best player at the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. Sinner was presented with the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner holds the trophy as ATP world best player at the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. Sinner was presented with the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to United States' Taylor Fritz during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)