Lindsey On Tiger And Lindsey
“Tiger and I both went through rehab with our injuries at a similar time, so we were both in the gym together and pushing each other and motivating each other, both frustrated,” Vonn said.
“I think we both helped each other a lot through that time, and I drew a lot of inspiration from him and I think he does the same with me.
“We continue to push each other and it’s a really positive relationship in that way.”
Woods’ own injury problems began after a promising start to 2014.
The 14-time major champion regained the World No 1. spot in March but was unable to recapture the form that took him there after undergoing back surgery shortly afterwards.
Myboysay Nation’s Skiing Enthusiasts Sports Perspective on Lindsey:
Lindsey Vonn is the winningest female ski racer in American history. Lindsey Vonn grew up in Apple Valley, Minnesota and began skiing at age 2; when she was 11 she moved to Colorado with her family to train at Ski Club Vail. At age 17 she qualified for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing a promising sixth in the combined event. She went on to become one of America’s most celebrated skiiers, winning dozens of World Cup victories and back-to-back overall World Cup Championships in 2008 and 2009. She’s had less luck in the Olympics: she was injured in practice just before the Turin Olympics of 2006 and didn’t win a medal, and in 2010 she suffered a pre-Olympic shin injury. But that year she recovered to win a gold medal in the women’s downhill and a bronze in the Super-G.
Known as the most successful female ski racer in American history – and quickly gaining on “all time” status – Lindsey Vonn is one of the few world-class, four-event ski racers. She is the only American woman to ever capture downhill gold at the Olympics and the only American woman with four World Cup overall titles. Six weeks after she turned 20, Vonn (then Kildow) produced her first World Cup victory in Lake Louise, Alberta. She has since captured a U.S. record 59 World Cup wins. In addition to her 2010 Olympic downhill gold and super G bronze, she holds five World Championship medals, including double gold in 2009.
A horrific crash at the February 2013 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships left Vonn with a torn ACL/MCL, fractured tibial plateau and a whole lot of motivation to come back to the sport strong. It was the kind of motivation that put her back on snow in Portillo, Chile at the end of August, a full month and a half ahead of schedule. All signs were pointing to go, and Vonn was on track when a mid-November downhill training crash at Copper Mountain resulted in a major setback.
Determined to compete in the 2014 Olympics, Vonn pushed on. She returned to training a few weeks later and was back in the start gate in early December in Lake Louise, where she placed a promising fifth in the super G. She cruised into the next race series at Val d’Isere, France feeling strong, but her knee was rocked after hitting a big hole in the downhill. She then wisely called it a season so she could set her sights on the healing process and be in the best shape of her life for the 2015 season, when the World Championships will be hosted on her home snow of Vail/Beaver Creek.
LINDSEY SAYS
Copper was a really bad crash. Either way, it (the ACL) would have been gone. It was pretty gnarly. It was a perfectly sunny day, but the course kind of dropped into this hole where it was completely in the shade and the snow changed; it was soft and broken up and my ski just caught. I pretty much did the splits and completely maxed out my right knee. I went face-first into the nets.
At first I was extremely upset. I didn’t know what to do. Then I tried to regroup and figure out a plan. How can I make this work? How can I keep skiing? We tried to come up with a good plan, so I still had hope, a glimmer of hope. I never gave up hope all the way up until the day I decided I couldn’t do it anymore.
Having not raced in Sochi…that totally changed everything. Barring anything bad happening, I’m committed to another four years. Even if I do well next year at the World Championships, I want to be able to have an opportunity to defend my gold medal.
FIRST TRACKS
Growing up in the Twin Cities area (in Burnsville), Vonn was on skis at two before moving into Erich Sailer’s renowned program at Buck Hill. She commuted to Vail for a couple of years before the Kildow family moved to Vail in the late Nineties. En route to the World Cup, she excelled at every level: Junior Olympics, Trofeo Topolino, Whistler Cup (kids 11-14), Junior Worlds, NorAms and Europa Cup.
OFF THE SNOW
Vonn is a media mogul. From her roots in small town Minnesota, she has become a regular on “Most Marketable” athlete lists. It’s no wonder major companies have picked her up for national television commercials. She played a major role in NBC’s Today Show coverage of the Sochi Olympics by hosting her own segments and providing analysis from the NYC studios. Grab any major magazine and she’s probably been in it–Glamour, Women’s Health and People to name a few. Or on the cover–Fitness, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, TV Guide to name a few more.
Out of her ski boots, Vonn swings a mean tennis racquet and golf club. After recording a hole-in-one during one of her first full 18 holes, Vonn is now a staple at charity tournaments. But if you ask her about her favorite thing to do beside ski, she’ll tell you it’s all about spending time with her family and new pooch, Leo.
