The 2018 Winter Olympics are upon us, and for one American skier, the gold medal is just within arm’s reach. However, Lindsey Vonn’s injuries threaten her gold-winning dream. Is Lindsey Vonn in the 2018 Olympics? Keep reading to find out!
The 2018 Winter Olympics will kick off on February 9, 2018, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and competitive skier, Lindsey Vonn, won’t settle for anything but gold. She’s one of the most successful female ski racers in the history of the sport. But, the coming games might be her last year in the sport. Will Lindsey Vonn compete in the 2018 Olympics? Here’s what she had to say about her Olympic future.
What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger
Lindsey Vonn is from Minnesota and broke into the ski scene during the 2002 Olympics when she was 17. Now, she’s 33 and will possibly retire next year.
Vonn has four World Cup overall titles under her belt, a gold medal from the 2010 Olympics (the first American female skier to do so), and mega endorsement deals.
After her four-year marriage to fellow skier Thomas Vonn ended, she had a high profile romance with disgraced golf legend, Tiger Woods. Due to the constant media attention because of her relationships, she went through a slump in her career.
A devastating knee injury left Vonn incapable of competing in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Since she missed the last competition, ski enthusiasts, along with her fans, are eager to see her compete for gold in Pyeongchang.
With a reconstructed knee, Vonn looks ready for the slopes. She most recently talked about her injuries and plans to compete in an interview. She will be the oldest skier to compete in Pyeongchang. Her teammate, 18-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin, is poised to be the next Lindsey Vonn. But Vonn maintains that her experience of more than a decade gives her an upper hand.
“Visualizing the slopes is something I did when training for Vancouver and I’ve done the same this summer ahead of Pyeongchang,” she said.
Vonn is currently preparing for the Winter Games and working on qualifying.
She’s Resilient and Working Hard
Since sitting out the Sochi games, she has only improved. The downhill queen is no stranger to injury. She raced through a back injury and won her 78th World Cup this December.
The most decorated female skier detailed every scar—both physical and personal—in a Sports Illustrated profile, and there are many! Despite Lindsey Vonn’s injury, there’s nothing stopping her from competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics. While her goal is to win another gold, she is working hard to qualify for the Olympics, which we’re sure she will.
Like other athletes, Vonn jumped on the political bandwagon.
“I hope to represent the people of the United States, not the president,” she stated,“I want to represent our country well. I don’t think that there are a lot of people currently in our government that do that.”
She also added that if she wins, she won’t be accepting an invitation to the White House.
Qualifying and preparing for the Olympics are on the top of Vonn’s to-do list right now. She’s confident of qualifying and making a mark in her Olympic return, “I’ve paid enough but now I feel fit and ready for it. I know I will be self-confident at the start.”
Injuries are but a small snag in a sure dream. And as Lindsey Vonn puts it, “Gold is my favorite color.”