Lindsey Vonn will return to racing in January after sustaining a bone bruise and lateral collateral ligament sprain in November.

The 2010 Olympic downhill champion was set to retire at the end of the 2018-19 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup season but, after the injuries sustained in a super-G crash dashed her chances of a final appearance at Lake Louise, she scrapped the plan.

Vonn announced her impending return to action in a caption alongside an Instagram video in which she asked Santa Claus to "get rid of her crutches" for Christmas.

 

 

 

 

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I met Santa last week and I told him my Christmas wishes... and it looks like I have an early present, I CAN SKI SOON!!! I have the green light to race in January!! See, you’re never too old for Santa! #illbeback

A post shared by L I N D S E Y • V O N N (@lindseyvonn) on Dec 17, 2018 at 9:01am PST

The two-time world champion also requested five World Cup victories to take her past Ingemar Stenmark's record of 86.

Vonn wrote: "I met Santa last week and I told him my Christmas wishes… and it looks like I have an early present, I CAN SKI SOON!!!

"I have the green light to race in January!! See, you're never too old for Santa!"