“Don’t count me out,” Vonn said. “I’ve got one more chance. Maybe I’ll pull off a miracle, maybe I won’t. … I’m going to try my hardest. Just because I get knocked down, it doesn’t mean I don’t get back up.”
One of the hallmarks of Lindsey Vonn’s career has been the way she bounces back from major crashes time and time again. Vonn’s long history of crashes has included frightful falls at the 2006 Turin Olympics and 2013 worlds and injuries to virtually every part of her body — from a concussion to a sliced thumb to a bruised shin. But she has always bounced back by winning titles and medals.
Lindsey Vonn, the most successful female skier of all time, earlier in February shared that the World Championships in Sweden, which run from Feb. 5 to 17 2019, will be her last events as a professional alpine skier.
“I’m screwed. I’ve known that for three years now,” Vonn said. “It’s only a matter of time. The analogy I was given was, I only have a certain amount of steps left. And I’ve run out of steps at this point. I know I’ll have pain for the rest of my life but I wouldn’t change it. … I got no cartilage, no meniscus, I got rods and plates and screws. There’s a lot going on. My head is still good, that’s all I need.”
As Vonn will enter her last race before retiring, following yet another crash during the super-G at the world championships on tuesday (5/2/19) were she ended up sliding down the hill face first then tumbling into the safety netting. Vonn quickly got up after the fall and skied down the hill under her own power after being tended to by medical personnel. , she announced last week that she will retire after racing the 2019 super-G.
34-year-old Vonn is the all-time leader in women’s World Cup wins, grew up skiing at Burnsville’s Buck Hill, will have knee surgery for the seventh time soon after she retires — to repair the left knee ligament she tore during training in November.
As Vonn hang up her skis this month she says “Honestly, retiring isn’t what upsets me. Retiring without reaching my goal is what will stay with me forever.
However, I can look back at 82 World Cup wins, 20 World Cup titles, 3 Olympic medals, 7 World Championship medals and say that I have accomplished something that no other woman in HISTORY has ever done, and that is something that I will be proud of FOREVER!I always say, “Never give up!” So to all the kids out there, to my fans who have sent me messages of encouragement to keep going.
I need to tell you that I’m not giving up! I’m just starting a new chapter. Don’t lose faith in your dreams, keep fighting for what you love, and if you always give everything you have you’ll be happy no matter what the outcome.”
COMMENTS