Lindsey Vonn expected a warm welcome when she announced her comeback at 40. After all, she’s a legend with 82 World Cup wins and a career full of jaw-dropping moments. But instead of cheers, she was met with harsh criticism. Two-time Olympic champ Michaela Dorfmeister didn’t mince words, saying on Austrian TV, “Does she want to kill herself?” and suggesting Vonn “should see a psychologist.” Ouch. That was not exactly the reaction Vonn was hoping for. But Vonn is more than what her critics make of her.
On March 23, she silenced her critics by finishing second in the World Cup Super-G finals, at Sun Valley in Idaho just 1.29 seconds behind Swiss star Lara Gut-Behrami, her first podium finish since her return. But getting to that podium was far from easy. Vonn had her fair share of crashes, struggled to get comfortable with her equipment, and even made mistakes that were pretty rare for someone of her caliber. She even suffered a nasty fall during her opening training run at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in January. Not to mention, the multiple surgeries over her 15-year World Cup career. To make matters worse, she had a long list of naysayers, forever doubting her.
That all changed on Sunday. When Lindsey Vonn crossed the finish line, she felt emotional. The narrative she shared while crying brought forth tears from her eyes. “I’m passionate about what I do. I love skiing. That’s why I’m here,” she said. “When you love something and work hard at it, it feels really good when you’re finally rewarded. It was joy. It was relief. It was satisfaction in the fact that this adventure I set myself on is worth something.” But her biggest win this season was something else entirely.
The right knee which had plagued her for multiple years functioned flawlessly. Vonn experienced astonishment after her knee replacement surgery when she realized how strong it remained during the strenuous activities. She expressed amazement because her knee required no ice treatment. Just skiing without enduring constant agony brought Vonn a sense of triumph. But that’s not all!
“It wasn’t about how I was physically this year,” she admitted. “It was just I couldn’t put all the pieces together in one run.” And it wasn’t easy staying motivated with all the negativity swirling around her. “This year has just been really up and down, and it’s been hard to stay positive sometimes, especially because people are telling me that I should just quit — again,” Vonn said. But the champion skier is far from done.
Lindsey Vonn’s fight to end her career on top
The decision to return for Lindsey Vonn extends beyond thrill-seeking because she aims to compete in another Olympic competition. Well, we know, that Vonn shocked the world when she revealed her return from retirement after she ended her skiing career due to knee damage in 2019. Her goal? She seeks to participate in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics held in Italy before retiring on her own timeline.
Vonn has decided her participation in the 2026 Olympics will mark her fifth and final appearance at this level which places her among athletes who have taken part five times at this level of competition. She has already participated in four Olympic competitions dating back to 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2018, while walking away with three medals and her epic downhill gold from Vancouver. This Olympics represents a different purpose beyond the accumulation of additional medals in her career.
Lindsey Vonn’s comeback is about proving that she’s still got it, that her passion for skiing hasn’t faded, and that she can still compete with the best. The journey won’t be easy, but Sunday’s podium finish showed that her Olympic dream is still alive and kicking.
The post “Should Just Quit”: Lindsey Vonn Breaks Down in Tears As American Legend Expresses Bittersweet Feelings appeared first on EssentiallySports.