After racing through countless victories, defeats, tragic accidents, a metal rod in her arm and a reconstructed knee, Lindsey took part in one of her last Olympic races on Wednesday morning, February 20th at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre. After 81 World Cup victories and three Olympic medals, Vonn has shown once and for all that she deserves the title of greatest female ski racer in history. At 33 years old, she is the oldest alpine skier to receive a medal at the Olympics.
Vonn has overcome every obstacle imaginable including countless injuries, surgeries and divorce. She had to skip the 2014 Olympics due to her knee injury, destroying her chances to place gold again just four years after her stellar performance in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. In spite of her age, she continues to train and compete this Olympic season.
After Vonn’s bronze finish, many athletes and coaches alike look for moments in the race that could have changed the outcome, shifted the tide, and given the lifelong skier the chance for another gold medal. Even her own father commented on changes she should have made during the course to give her an edge over the competition.
However, Vonn, like many athletes who are older or affected by injuries, sees the race differently; the ability to compete again, after countless championships and World Cups, and 8 years after the Vancouver Olympics, is a fantastic feat in itself. Her ability to surpass the stigma of age and compete amongst a new generation of skiers shows that her legacy will live on, a legend for skiers young and old across the nation. Lindsey Vonn is a woman who is not defined by her age in a short-lived, injury-prone sport. Her ability to continue skiing and outlast her competition shows that, bronze or gold, Vonn will be known as the greatest female ski racer of all time.