Sports
Lindsey Vonn, at historic stop for women’s alpine, kicks off her World Cup return
BEAVER CREEK, Colo. — Before starting down the track, ski racers often receive course reports by radio, detailing conditions and delivered by teammates at the finish who skied the course ahead of them.
It’s not every day those reports come from Lindsey Vonn, three-time Olympic medalist, 82-time World Cup winner and one of alpine skiing’s greats.
But they did on Saturday, when Vonn foreran the downhill course at Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey World Cup course, testing the track for conditions and safety before some of the world’s top skiers hit the slopes — and radioing up to her American teammates encouraging them to send it.
The sun was high, the course was fast and the mood was celebratory as Vonn came through the finish in a spray of snow, waving to cheers from a packed crowd. As a forerunner, her time has not been released and did not count for the official standings, topped by Cornelia Huetter from Austria with a time of 1:32.38.
“I am so friggin’ happy to be back here,” Vonn said in an interview with Birds of Prey commentator Parker Biele after forerunning the course.
She’s baaackkk 😏
From her 2011 super-G win to forerunning the historic women’s Birds of Prey downhill, it only feels right that @lindseyvonn‘s comeback starts here.
She’ll do it again for tomorrow’s super-G 🤘#stifelusskiteam pic.twitter.com/aKZhRAAH0I
— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) December 14, 2024
The last time Vonn raced at a World Cup event was in 2019, not long before her retirement brought on by years of injuries. But last month, Vonn announced a comeback to the world of alpine racing, attempting what very few have done: return to the sport’s top tier, at age 40, after years of retirement.
Vonn raced earlier this month at a lower-level event at Copper Mountain in Colorado, securing the minimum points needed to request a wild card entry into World Cup races, reserved for retired skiers who have found success at the top of the sport. After forerunning at Birds of Prey, she plans to make her return to World Cup competition next weekend at St. Moritz in Switzerland.
That will be more than two decades since Vonn made her World Cup debut in 2000 at age 16. In the years that followed, she became one of the most successful women in alpine racing, developing a reputation for fast, powerful skiing. She often raced with men’s skis and frequently requested to compete on men’s courses, to no avail.
Things have changed since then. On Saturday, women raced the challenging downhill Birds of Prey track at Beaver Creek — typically reserved for men — for the first time. The only other time women competed at the course was in 2011 on a version of the Super-G track, when a lack of snow in France relocated the event for one year only (women also raced an adjacent course at Beaver Creek in 2015). The winner of that 2011 race? Vonn.
“Birds of Prey is a hill that constantly is pulling you down,” Vonn said Friday about her past experience at Beaver Creek. “You can go extremely fast … if you let it take you.”
It’s that past experience that Biele, a former racer herself now commentating at the event, says is invaluable for fellow American women.
“What she’s able to do is provide mentorship to them and really guide them,” Biele said. “She’s raced all these hills before. So having somebody who’s done that and been on these tracks and has had this experience is such a valuable asset to give to this next generation of racers.”
Lindsey Vonn acknowledges the crowd Saturday after forerunning for the women’s downhill. She’s targeting a return to World Cup racing next weekend. (Gabriele Facciotti / Agence Zoom / Getty Images)
With Birds of Prey historically reserved for men, U.S. women have not had too many chances to race World Cups on home soil.
“To have this opportunity to really take advantage of it is so nice, and to come down to a home crowd, I mean, in Europe, there are some U.S. fans there, but to come down and have someone cheering for you is such a nice feeling,” said Lauren Macuga, 22, who finished fourth with a time of 1:32.90, the fastest of the seven Americans racing Saturday and the only one to break the top 10. “It’s so exciting.”
More than two dozen family members and friends came out to support 2022 Olympian Bella Wright, passing out t-shirts to a largely American crowd — a rare occurrence when many women’s World Cups take place abroad.
“I’ve been coming to Beaver Creek to watch the men since I was 4 years old,” Wright said on Friday before racing began. “It means a lot for me to be here and it means even more to have the women be able to do the same track as the men. I think that historically this is just going to be a moment that we’re going to look back on and realize that women can do more men’s tracks, which is so exciting.”
It’s exciting for locals too. Kathi Kotula has lived in Vail Valley for 27 years and has worked the Birds of Prey event for 14. (She was looking forward to seeing Vail local and alpine great Mikaela Shiffrin race the course, but Shiffrin is out with an injury after crashing last month during a World Cup race in Vermont.)
“We’re used to the grandeur of all the men coming into town and the excitement and the fun, but I swear, this year, when they announced women would be coming, there was a joy in the valley,” Kotula said. “We were so stoked that we had the opportunity.”
As Birds of Prey wraps up and the World Cup circuit continues, attention now turns to how Vonn will perform in top-level races — and whether she could be competitive for the 2026 Olympics.
Her comeback at age 40 is unprecedented among female alpine skiers. When Vonn retired in 2019, she was already the oldest woman to medal in alpine skiing at the Olympics, winning bronze at age 33 at Pyeongchang in 2018. Earlier this year, Italian Federica Brignone, 34, became the oldest woman to win a World Cup race. (Brignone placed ninth in the downhill on Saturday).
But Vonn joins a larger group of professional athletes to compete into their 40s, including sports legends like Serena Williams and Tom Brady. In 2022, French skier Johan Clarey became the oldest alpine racer to medal at the Olympics at age 41.
Spectators cheer for Lindsey Vonn on Saturday during the first women’s World Cup event held on the famed Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek. (Jason Connolly / AFP via Getty Images)
At Beaver Creek on Friday, Vonn also cited women younger than her pushing age boundaries in their respective sports — namely Simone Biles, who made her third Olympic team this past summer at age 27. In Paris, Biles became the oldest women’s Olympic all-around gold medalist since 1952.
“I think Simone Biles is the perfect example of what can be done at an older age, and she’s not even old. It’s just, it’s outside of the confines of what we believe is the right age for the sport,” Vonn said.
“I don’t think I’m reinventing the wheel, I’m just doing what I feel is right for me, but at the same time continuing on what other women have done before me.”
Vonn has cited a variety of reasons driving her comeback: She missed having teammates, she missed skiing, she missed skiing fast.
But the main reason Vonn returned from retirement was straightforward: Her body could do it.
“What changed my mind was just that I was put back together again,” Vonn said.
It’s an outcome that seemed far from guaranteed after years of high-speed crashes, painful injuries and surgeries, including a series of ligament tears in her knee in 2013 and 2014. She retired in 2019 not long after yet another ligament tear.
“The last years of my career, I think, were a lot more challenging than I let on and anyone really understood,” Vonn said.
Eight months after knee replacement surgery and more than five years since her last race, Vonn said she feels better at 40 than she did at times earlier in her career.
“I couldn’t do, you know, a 10-inch jump, single leg, over the last few years of my career,” she said. “And now I’m doing 20 inches, no problem.”
Whether or not Vonn can get back on top is another question, one that will be answered in the next few months of racing.
She certainly has her skeptics. In the world of sports, comeback announcements are often accompanied by cynics wondering if it’s all just for sponsorships or press coverage. With Vonn’s history of injuries and the dangers of skiing, some fans just don’t think she can do it.
“I’m 10 years on a knee replacement, so I know what that’s all about, but racing’s a lot different,” said Bruce Evans, a spectator who arrived at Beaver Creek Saturday decked out in an American flag ski suit, carrying an American flag signed by everyone from 1960s alpine Olympian Billy Kidd to Vonn herself.
“Especially in downhills, you’re on the edge all the time or you’re not going to be near the top in the finish order. As far as her making the choice, hey, more power to her, especially if she can be successful at it.”
Vonn says she’s all in.
“I don’t just whimsically rejoin the U.S. Ski Team,” she said Friday.
Instead, Vonn said she plans to get back to where she was before retirement.
“Success is not just participating,” Vonn said.
GO DEEPER
With World Cup in her backyard, Mikaela Shiffrin and Aleksander Kilde focus on recovery
(Top illustration: Meech Robinson / The Athletic; photos: Dustin Satloff / U.S. Ski and Snowboard / Getty Images; Mine Kasapoglu / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images; Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
Sports
Mike Tomlin’s exit was unexpected as Steelers begin rare coaching search, team president says
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Mike Tomlin’s decision to step away after a blowout AFC wild-card loss pushed the Steelers into an uncharacteristic coaching search.
Tomlin did not specify a reason for stepping away in a statement released Tuesday, but he thanked owner Art Rooney II and the late Ambassador Dan Rooney for their trust over nearly two decades.
“While this chapter comes to a close, my respect and love for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change. I am excited for what the future holds for this organization, and I will forever be grateful for my time coaching in Pittsburgh,” Tomlin said in the statement.
Rooney II and Omar Khan will oversee the coaching search. Rooney called Tomlin’s decision unexpected but not surprising.
Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II and head coach Mike Tomlin before a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Dec 23, 2018, in New Orleans. (Chuck Cook/USA Today Sports)
“It was his decision, and I will say that I wasn’t shocked, but I wasn’t expecting that conversation yesterday either,” Rooney said. “I was certainly willing to take another run at it next year with Mike, and that was what I was expecting to talk about yesterday, but it went in another direction.”
2026 NFL COACHING/GM TRACKER: STEELERS REQUEST FIRST HC INTERVIEWS AFTER TOMLIN DEPARTURE
Tomlin has two years left on his Steelers contract, and any team seeking to hire him before 2027 would need to compensate Pittsburgh. Rooney acknowledged the slim prospects of Tomlin coaching later this year and provided additional context on his departure, saying it was centered on his personal life.
Pittsburgh Steelers owner and team President Art Rooney II before a game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium Sept. 22, 2022, in Cleveland,. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
“Mike indicated that he did not anticipate coaching in the near future,” Rooney said. “I think he wants to spend time with his family and do the things he hasn’t been able to do for the last many years. So, if something like that comes up, we’ll deal with it when it comes up, but it doesn’t seem like something on his radar.”
Rooney said he, Khan and other key decision-makers will take an open-minded approach to the rare coaching search.
“I’ve been involved in a number of searches going back to coach [Bill] Cowher and GM searches,” Rooney said as he recalled past coaching search experiences. “I think if I’ve learned anything about searches it’s to have an open mind. We had Mike in for his first interview, certainly wasn’t expecting him to be our head coach. I think you go through the process and be diligent and hopefully come out with the right guy.”
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, right, stands on the sideline during the first half of a wild-card playoff game against the Houston Texans in Pittsburgh Jan. 12, 2026. (Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo)
When asked about the qualities he will look for in candidates, Rooney said leadership is at the top of the list.
“I think there are a lot of things that go into being a successful head coach,” Rooney said. “No. 1 in my mind is leadership and trusting this person can step up in front of the team day in and day out and hold their attention and have them motivated to do what they do. That’s the most important.”
After defeating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 to clinch the AFC North and the final spot in the NFL playoffs, the Steelers scored just six points in Monday’s loss to the Houston Texans.
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“Extra pass.”
Cleveland High coach Dagem Asfaw was yelling to his players at the end of the first half during a timeout to stop playing selfish basketball and start making the “extra pass.”
They listened in the second half Wednesday, and the Cavaliers took off, blowing out Granada Hills 72-47. The first three baskets in the third quarter were threes off passes. It’s clear that Cleveland (11-6, 1-0) has the most talented team in the West Valley League and the only question is will the players decide to find the open man. When they do, it’s doubtful any team will beat them.
Sophomore Sho Evans finished with 17 points and made four threes. Serigne Deme had 11 of his 13 points in the first quarter and finished with four dunks. TJ Wansa scored 13 points, all in the second half. Cleveland led by nine points at halftime.
Birmingham 75, Taft 57: Tekeio Phillips had 19 points and Charles Eleri 16 for the Patriots (10-4, 1-0) in their West Valley opener.
El Camino Real 55, Chatsworth 53: The Royals pulled out the win. Aarsh Singh, Aaron Krueger and Chris Rutherford each scored 11 points for Chatsworth.
Fairfax 66, Westchester 64: The Western League rivalry game goes to the Lions. Domonick Bowie Jr. had 16 points and Chris Stokes 15.
Palisades 87, Hamilton 48: The Dolphins had four players reach double figures. Jack Levey and EJ Popoola each had 22 points, Phillip Reed 19 and OJ Popoola 16.
San Pedro 74, Carson 50: Elias Redlew finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the 16-4 Pirates. AJ Bobich added 16 points.
Los Alamitos 57, Newport Harbor 40: Isaiah Williamson contributed 15 points for the Griffins.
Calabasas 64, Oaks Christian 62: The Coyotes handed Oaks Christian its first Marmonte League defeat in double overtime. Noah Simon made a three-point shot at the buzzer of the second overtime, his only points of the night. Tristan Cardoso and Johnny Thyfault each scored 16 points.
Verbum Dei 80, Bosco Tech 64: Sophomore Chase Coleman scored 20 points for Verbum Dei.
Girls basketball
Harvard-Westlake 42, Louisville 23: Valentina Guerrero, back from injury, scored 13 points for the Wolverines.
Sierra Canyon 79, Marlborough 31: Jerzy Robinson contributed 29 points and 10 rebounds for Sierra Canyon.
Birmingham 65, Taft 28: Kayla Tanijiri led the way for the Patriots with 15 points and Laecy Wilkins had 14 points.
Sports
Jason Kelce says Eagles players share blame with fired coordinator Kevin Patullo for offensive struggles
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The Philadelphia Eagles fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo after a disappointing 23-19 loss in the Wild Card round against the San Francisco 49ers.
However, former Eagles star center Jason Kelce said that while Patullo bears responsibility for the offensive struggles, he thought the players could have performed better.
“The bottom line is this offense didn’t live up to what it should have, right? And Patullo, as the offensive coordinator, bears responsibility and so do the players. That’s my thing. I don’t think the players played as good as they could have,” Kelce said during a recent episode of the “New Heights” podcast.
Jason Kelce looks on before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium. The game took place in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 3, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
“I love all those guys and that’s just the way it is sometimes. I had my seasons. I damn sure did. And you know, how do they rebound from this? Where do they go from here? There’ll be new faces in. There’ll be faces that are familiar that are out.”
The 38-year-old said he doesn’t think it’s fair for all the blame to be placed on Patullo. Kelce referenced the offensive line’s inability to stay healthy and a running game that regressed as causes for the downturn.
“The main reason (for the regression) and I’ve been saying this from the beginning was the run game. The offensive line’s inability to stay healthy altogether to open up holes. Saquon Barkley almost set the NFL record for rushing last year. They were incredible in the run game,” Kelce said.
The seven-time Pro Bowler pointed out that while the Eagles won the Super Bowl last season, the passing game struggled. With the running game not nearly as dynamic as it was last season, the issues with the passing game became more prominent.
EAGLES MOVE ON FROM OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KEVIN PATULLO AFTER UNEVEN SEASON, COACH NICK SIRIANNI SAYS
Jason Kelce waves to fans during the Super Bowl LIX championship parade and rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 14, 2025. (Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)
“The passing game, they struggled last year. I mean, there were all sorts of things happening last season that we like to forget because we won the Super Bowl, but the passing game has been an issue for multiple seasons now. Now, the running game isn’t there. Why isn’t it there? The offensive line is in and out. They’re hurt. Guys are overcoming injuries. They’re not playing the same way they’ve played in the past,” Kelce said.
“You have a quarterback that’s not running as much. Jalen Hurts, the threat of him running the ball, opens up so much for the running back when they have to truly respect it, and it also opens up things downfield.”
Kelce did lament the lack of creativity within the Eagles offense and said it would “behoove” them to bring in someone from outside the building as their new offensive coordinator.
“I would love to see more motions. I would love to see all that stuff,” Kelce said. “It would probably behoove the Eagles to bring in somebody with a fresh perspective on where it’s at currently, because when you’re in it, you’re thinking about what you’ve done well in the past. You’re thinking about how you’ve had success.”
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Former player Jason Kelce reacts prior to the game between the Washington Commanders and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The game took place in Kansas City, Missouri, on Oct. 27, 2025. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
“It’s like, man, I know this guy can do this. I know this can happen here. Yeah. When you bring in somebody else, it’s like, man, this is where we’re at now. And now we can bring in some fresh ideas. we can figure out a way to maximize things while keeping that nucleus together.”
Last season, during the team’s Super Bowl-winning season, they were tied for fourth in the NFL, averaging 29 points per game. This season, they scored a touchdown fewer, averaging 22.1 points per game, which ranked 19th in the NFL.
The Eagles hope their next offensive coordinator can turn things around quickly.
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