Lindsey Vonn Breaks Down In Tears After Winning Bronze Medal In Downhill At Olympics

For Lindsey Vonn, this might be it. After she placed third during the Women’s Downhill skiing event at the Pyeongchang games on Feb. 20, she broke down in tears. As she hit the slopes for the women’s alpine skiing event on Feb. 20, the world watched and wondered if she would get her redemption. She didn’t win gold, as many had hoped, but she still received a medal. And it was bittersweet for Lindsey. She was happy for her win, but also sad, knowing her Olympics career is quickly coming to an end.

After finishing in 1:39.69, .47 seconds behind Italy’s Sofia Goggia, a tearful Lindsey told NBC, “I skied a great race today. Sofia just skied better than I did. I thought I executed the line really well. Maybe I executed too well. I tried to stay on the perfect line. I have no regrets. I’m very happy. It was tough to contemplate this being my last Olympic downhill race. I struggled to keep the emotions together. But I’m proud of my performance.”

Before the results, the skier vowed to give everything she had in an emotional Instagram post on Feb. 19. In a pic of her at the starting gate she wrote “Tomorrow I will push out of the starting gate in what will most likely be my last Olympic Downhill race. I’m trying to enjoy the moment as much as I can and I am thankful to share this race with such amazing teammates. I know everyone expects a lot from me, and I expect even more of myself….however there’s only one thing I can guarantee; I will give everything I have tomorrow. Count on it.”

Lindsey made her 2018 Winter Olympics debut on Feb. 16, competing in the Super-G. In her defense, it’s not her best event as she was ranked 10th in the World Cup standings. Plus, she also went first, which is never a fun time. “No. 1 is always really difficult, especially in Super-G,” Vonn told NBC of her starting position, according to USA Today. “I think it was a pretty big disadvantage to be honest. … You know I attacked. I gave it everything I had. I have no regrets. I made a mistake at the bottom, but that’s Super-G.” She ultimately tied for sixth place.

Chalk it up to rust. It was her first Olympic race since 2010, back when she won gold in the Downhill and the bronze in the Super-G. Still, many MAGA trolls delighted in Lindsey’s misfortune. Prior to the Olympics, she said she was hoping to “present the people of the United States, not the president.” It didn’t take long for the deplorables to harass Lindsey over her failure to win gold. She didn’t let them get to her. “They want to defeat you. And I’m not defeated. I’m the same. I stand by my values. I’m not going to back down. I may not be as vocal right now with my opinions, but that doesn’t mean they’ve won. I haven’t changed my mind.”

 

Tomorrow I will push out of the starting gate in what will most likely be my last Olympic Downhill race. I’m trying to enjoy the moment as much as I can and I am thankful to share this race with such amazing teammates. I know everyone expects a lot from me, and I expect even more of myself....however there’s only one thing I can guarantee; I will give everything I have tomorrow. Count on it.

A post shared by L I N D S E Y • V O N N (@lindseyvonn) on Feb 20, 2018 at 4:40am PST