Lindsey Vonn’s stirring return to ski racing in her 40s will hit its crescendo at the Milan Cortina Olympics, while the comeback quest of another U.S. gold medalist, snowboarder Jamie Anderson, came up short.Anderson, a two-time champion in slopestyle who returned to the sport after having two kids, failed to reach a podium this season and will not join the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team in the mountains of Italy.Mikaela Shiffrin made her fourth Olympic team, while snowboarder Chloe Kim is trying to make it three gold medals at three Olympics — though her health is in question after hurting her shoulder in training earlier this month.They’re the headliners as U.S. Ski and Snowboard named its 97-person roster on Thursday. It contained few surprises, since virtually all the spots were determined based on results over the last two years.The 41-year-old Vonn, Kim and Shiffrin, who have five Olympic gold medals between them, lead a roster that is short in experience. There are 48 first-time Olympians.In all, there are 50 women and 47 men, ranging in ages from 15 (halfpipe freestyle skier Abby Winterberger) to 44 (snowboardcross rider Nick Baumgartner, at his fifth Olympics, and defending champion in the mixed event). The team is slated to be officially announced on Monday.The skiers and snowboarders brought home 15 of the United States’ 25 medals at the Beijing Games four years ago. They’ll make up almost half of the entire contingent the U.S. brings to Milan Cortina.“I am confident about the impact they will make in Italy,” U.S. Ski & Snowboard president and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said. “More than the results, our athletes are also bringing some of the most captivating story lines to Milano Cortina.”Vonn returned last season after a partial knee replacement and quickly began to show the form that made her a four-time overall World Cup champion. She’s won two World Cup downhill races this season — to bring her career total to 84 — and will be a favorite in both speed events in Cortina. She may even pair with Shiffrin as the team combined event makes its Olympic debut.Shiffrin is t …
