After winning Olympic gold, Lindsey Vonn has expressed that she is “growing quite weary” of the backlash regarding her return to professional skiing.

Following her retirement in 2019 due to injuries, Vonn revealed in November that she is coming back to competition, feeling positive since her knee replacement surgery. She made her competitive return recently at the FIS Fall Festival held at Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado and is gearing up to rejoin the World Cup circuit.

Despite her excitement about returning, some individuals are questioning her motives for competing again.

Michaela Dorfmeister, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, recently suggested on Austrian television that Vonn might need to see a psychologist, questioning if she “wants to harm herself.”

Similarly, Pirmin Zurbriggen, a four-time overall World Cup champion, voiced concerns that Vonn risks damaging her artificial knee, noting that she may struggle to adapt to life outside of competitive sports.

Vonn responded to the criticisms on social media.

“Honestly, I’m quite tired of people predicting bad outcomes for me,” she posted on Wednesday. “Is there a specific reason why all former Swiss skiers seem to think this way? Did they all become doctors and I somehow missed that, considering they talk like they know more than the world’s top physicians.”

Before this weekend’s event, Vonn elaborated on her motivations for returning to competition.

“I’ve been considering a knee replacement for several years now. I did extensive research. People may think I’m crazy, but I consider myself fairly knowledgeable. After going through several surgeries, I know a bit about it and have spoken to lots of doctors,” Vonn stated as reported by the Associated Press. “I consulted with Chris Davenport, an extreme skier who has had a partial knee replacement and still skis around 150 days a year… His experiences really boosted my confidence.”

At 40, Vonn aims to become the oldest female skier to secure a World Cup victory. Throughout her remarkable career, she achieved 82 World Cup wins, a record that stood as the highest for female skiers until fellow American Mikaela Shiffrin surpassed it in January 2023.