Sofia Goggia ‘really curious’ to see if Lindsey Vonn makes stunning comeback - 'Would be a great return'

Sofia Goggia has been having her say on whether her friend and former rival Lindsey Vonn will make a competitive return to skiing, more than four years after the American retired at the 2019 World Championships. The Italian seemed unsure what to make of the "surprising" rumours, which have been fuelled by footage of Vonn skiing in New Zealand after undergoing a knee replacement.

‘It would be a great return’ – Goggia on rumoured comeback of icon Vonn

Video credit: TNT Sports

Italian skiing star Sofia Goggia has said it "would be a great return" should rumours of Lindsey Vonn making a comeback at the age of 39 turn out to be true.

Those rumours have abounded since footage emerged on social media of Vonn skiing in New Zealand, with the American testing out her new knee after having the joint replaced.

It was constant injuries that eventually forced Vonn to retire four years ago, with the American citing at the time that: "My body is screaming at me to stop and it’s time for me to listen.”

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Those rumours have caught Goggia by surprise, with the Italian having no inside information to share on the matter despite being a close friend of Vonn.

“I actually don’t know because I hear these rumours," Goggia told Eurosport. "But I still don’t know what is true and what is not true.

"It is a surprising situation for all of us, we will see, we will see.

“If she is skiing now, that means she is healthy and I am happy for this. It would be a great return and we will see. I am really curious to see what her step will be."

Sofia Goggia

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Goggia is making a comeback of her own, having not taken to the slopes competitively since a horrific training accident in February resulted in a leg break, but she remains on track for a return in December.

“It’s the first time in my career I’m facing a press conference for an upcoming season without having done any sort of preparation on skis before, so it is a new situation for me,” Goggia admitted.

“I think I’m going to ski next week, depending on the forecast, and if everything goes well we will have for sure a good progression on skis and the goal is to be ready for the first ski races in Beaver Creek in the middle of December.”

Goggia explained that with her preparation so disrupted, her team still do not have a clear idea of what the season will hold.

She said: “At the moment I still don’t have a certain programme of races for the season but for sure, we are going to start from GS [Giant Slalom].

“We really don’t know the programme, we have a micro idea about how things might go through the season but the focus now is not on GS races, the focus now is on building my solidity in skiing to stay healthy and to express my potential on skis, and then we will see step by step.”

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Video credit: TNT Sports

Braathen 'not coming back to be anything other than the best'

While Vonn’s return remains just a rumour, Lucas Braathen is confirmed as coming back to the sport having missed last season following his shock retirement.

‘Not coming back to be anything other than the best’ – Braathen on highly anticipated return

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Braathen previously competed for Norway, but has chosen to represent Brazil, with the 24-year-old opting for the country of his mother's birth for the second part of his career.

“I just feel privileged to be in that start gate again and share this beautiful sport with all these beautiful people I get to tour the world with,” he said.

“It’s been a long and intense summer of physical development, I’ve been really skipping summer vacation this year and trying to get my volume back in in the gym, get to the physical state that ski racing demands and I think it goes without saying that I’m not coming back to be anything other than the best, so I’ve been trying to set that standard.

Lucas Braathen.

Image credit: Getty Images

“We travelled over to New Zealand very early this year to try and catch more of their winter which I’m very grateful for.

"The good days were really good and it’s a bit difficult seeing what was to come but as an athlete I just try to have a constructive approach to everything.

"I find there’s learning in everything and being adaptable is one of the greatest factors for ski racers that want to achieve success.”

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