Winter Olympics 2018: Will Lindsey Vonn Compete In South Korea?
One of the world's most famous winter sport athletes isn't ready to hang up her skis just yet. Despite injury setbacks, American Lindsey Vonn has said that she fully intends to compete for more medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
In June, while attending the French Open, Vonn told CNN that she is "going to mainly focus on the Olympics this season" and "try to win World Cups." At age 33, Vonn has admitted that this is "probably" her last final Olympics.
In February, she can prove she's still a superstar in the sport despite age, past injuries and possible rust. Arguably the greatest female Alpine skier of all time, Vonn's status is one of the Winter Games' hottest topics. She didn't compete in the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, due to injury and with some wondering if her Olympic career was over.
Having made her Olympic debut at age 17 at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City and with a record 77 World Cup wins and a gold and bronze medal from the 2010 Games in Vancouver, Vonn effectively transitioned from a young phenom to a legend on the slopes.
But questions have surrounded her ability to compete after multiple injuries. The St. Paul, Minnesota-native suffered a broken right arm in November 2016, damaging bone fragments her radial nerve and causing her to lose function in her hand.
The good news for Vonn was that her recovery came earlier than expected. She returned to the World Cup competition in January, finishing 13th in the downhill race at Altenmarkt, Germany. Days later, and in her second race back from injury, she won the downhill event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
However, the injury still slowed her down.
"In the start, I'm not strong in my right arm," Vonn told ESPN The Magazine in March. "So I'm at a disadvantage, and I have to make up that time by skiing better, which pushes the limit even more and puts me at more risk. I don't have much feeling in my hand. I lost my pole in the world championships for about nine gates. I was trying to get it back in my hand and I wasn't focused on the course. I tried to make up time and missed a gate."
It wasn't her first serious injury. In 2013, Vonn had to be airlifted to a hospital after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in her right knee after crashing in the super-G in Schladming, Austria. Later in the year, she would re-injure her right knee while training.
It wasn't until December 2014 that Vonn would compete again but she later took the bronze in the super-G at the 2015 World Championships in Colorado. In March 2015, she won the super-G again in Meribel, France.
Have the arm and knee injuries added up for Vonn going into 2018? She can still prove she's the sport's best in PyeongChang and seems determined to do so with reasonable expectations.
"I am most looking forward to competing for my country, and hopefully getting another medal," Vonn told Excelle Sports. "But I just want to go fast and try my best."
The Winter Games begin on Feb. 7 and conclude on Feb. 25.
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