Skiing Legend Lindsey Vonn Gets Real About Relating to Simone Biles’ Infamous ‘Grandma’ Comment

In sports, rarely do we see athletes flourishing beyond 35. Most are done by this time and the same applies for skiing as well. But there is one woman who is fighting against that. At 40, the veteran has been locking horns with women half her age as she prepares herself for her redemption tour. Yes, we are talking about Lindsey Vonn. But as the number known as age continues, she found solace in something another veteran said. And the veteran is none other than gymnastics great Simone Biles.

Back in 2016, Rio Simone Biles addressed her then-captain Aly Raisman as grandma. Aly was just 22 and Simone was even younger at 19. But since then Simone at 27 mentions, “I feel like I’m way older now than me calling her grandma when we were younger.” But while in her elder statesman role, Biles is enjoying her tag of “Grandma,” somewhere else Lindsey relates to this a lot as she herself is fighting that tag.

The legendary skier hung up her boots in 2019 after multiple knee injuries that left her physically broken. Even though she had the spirit, her body was not willing. But that she still had the will was proven right when her fans heard the shocking news in December 2024 that she was coming back to skiing. She is now 40. Age will only go more and more against her.

But then again, we are talking about a woman who has 82 World Cup victories. She is one of the 4 American women to win a gold in the downhill at the World Championships. Add to those 3 Olympic medals. Having such a stellar career, she is adored and respected in the skiing community for the legacy she has achieved. But fans still question the authenticity of the gold medalist even now.

In her recent interview with Sports Illustrated on 21st February, she was asked about her opinion on Biles being called grandma. To that, Lindsey has a simple reply in, “Nobody’s said that to me yet. Or at least not to my face.” It is no surprise that they can’t, though. Her career is too star-studded. With 9 medals across multiple world championships, there is hardly any doubt of her caliber. Despite this, many have questioned her capabilities since her return due to her age.

Lindsey Vonn thinks age is a superficial attribute to judge with

In the interview, Lindsey Vonn was asked if her judgment was because of an old perception of how our bodies hold up. To that, Vonn added, “Totally, you can’t compare athletes now to even 10 years ago, because of what’s available. There’s so much more we understand and know about the body and performance.” True. Sports science has come a long way. We have seen multiple athletes across multiple disciplines pushing well into forty.

In fact, if current sports are a trend, age is no longer a deciding factor for decline nowadays. She also mentions, “Age is not an indication these days of whether an athlete can be successful or not. The biggest question is, do they have the skill? Do they have the knowledge?” To add to her view, she uses the example of another famous senior citizen.

She continues, “Tom Brady was the smartest quarterback in history. That knowledge has value. And, in ski racing, it’s similar.” But that’s hardly the end. The likes of Djokovic, Ronaldo, and Brady have proven time and again about longevity and fitness. Lindsey also doesn’t shy away from letting people know where she stands.

With multiple medals and titles, she has been at the pinnacle for a long time. To complement these feelings, she mentions, “I have been racing for a lot longer than a lot of [my competitors] have been alive. I have a lot more knowledge. And that is meaningful. I have the ability to put those things together and do exactly what Tom did.” But is she wrong? After all, since her debut way back in 2000 as a teenager, she broke every possible record in her career.

And while some of these records have been reclaimed by others, she’s not ready to give up. Vonn also mentioned LeBron James, who “is only a few months younger than I am, and he’s still breaking records every game he plays, pretty much.” She also mentions Biles saying, “Far exceeds what everyone believed to be the limits of a gymnast’s physical ability to perform.”

With so many examples of the supposed grandmas and grandpas still redefining their respective sports, it’s not surprising if Lindsey Vonn also sees a late-career resurgence herself. After all, we are talking about the 82-time World Cup victory holder.