Nicol Delago makes her feelings known for Lindsey Vonn after American skier wishes her on 29th birthday

Nicol Delago recently expressed her thoughts after Lindsey Vonn wished the Italian alpine ski racer on her 29th birthday. While Delago frequently participates in the World Cup circuit, Vonn made her alpine skiing return on December 7, with her first World Cup race after coming out of retirement taking place on December 21, 2024, in Super-G at St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Vonn took to her Instagram story to wish the two-time Winter Olympian on her birthday. Sharing a glimpse of Delago in a video she recorded, the 40-year-old captioned the story and included a red heart emoji, writing:

“Happy Birthday @nicol_delago ❤️”

Following the birthday wish, Delago expressed her feelings for the three-time Olympic medalist by resharing the story originally posted by Lindsey Vonn on her Instagram, along with a heartfelt note.

“🥹 My idol since I was a child and still be an incredible inspiration to me ❤️”

Screenshot of Nicol Delago’s story about Vonn. Credits - IG/ @nicol_delago

After finishing 14th in a super-G race in Switzerland, Lindsey Vonn will next feature in a downhill race on January 11 and super-G on January 12 in St. Anton, Austria.

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Lindsey Vonn opens up on how racing feels like after knee-replacement surgery and importance of being patient

Lindsey Vonn during the Women's World Cup Super G at Beaver Creek Resort on December 15, 2024 in Beaver Creek, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/U.S. Ski and Snowboard/Getty Images)

Lindsey Vonn opened up about the challenges she faced in racing before and shared how she now feels like she's in her early 20s again. In an interview with Atomic Ski Fans before her first World Cup race post retirement, she said (3:53 onwards):

“I think back to the last few years of my career and how hard it was for me and I want to experience racing again with a healthy body. I feel like I'm in my early 20s and it feels great. It's like a whole new world for me. I feel like I'm young and excited and it's like the first time I've been on the World Cup.”

Additionally, Vonn said that although she was eager to participate, she recognizes the importance of lowering her expectations.

“I think the only thing that I would hope to do better this time around is just to be a little bit more patient. I'm not a patient person. I love competing. I love pushing myself. I'm trying to lower my expectations which is really hard for me to do but I think that's the smart thing to do. You know, just ease my way back into it and take it step by step and not expect myself to win the first race,” she added.

It is worth noting that the American underwent a partial knee-replacement surgery in April 2024, which she announced via an Instagram post.