Not many people fully appreciate the sport of ski racing, and those who do know that there is no one better than Lindsey Vonn. Over the years, Vonn has become the face of ski racing, while thriving on the slopes and being a hot topic in the media as well. Last March, Vonn suffered a hairline fracture in her left knee in Andorra. She was worried that this injury could be the end of her ski racing career, as she would need very serious surgery. This would be Vonn’s third out of the past four seasons that an injury ended her season early. As assumed, Vonn was out for the remainder of the 2015-2016 season.

Interestingly enough, Vonn was back out on the slopes the day after she sustained her hairline fracture. She wanted to finish her race in Andorra. In ski racing, the racer takes two runs, and they use the best time of the two. Vonn nearly broke a record for her first run that day. She sustained the injury in her second run. She finished 13th in her race, but was in first for her first run the previous day. Vonn posted on her twitter, “No one can ever call me a wimp.”

In the United States, ski racing is not as popular as other common sports such as football or baseball. Many people, like Henry Gise ‘17, do not know much about Vonn or ski racing. Gise explained the extent of his knowledge of Vonn: “All I know is that she’s a skier.” As Vonn is one of the more popular racers, she is still rather unknown to the American community, compared to figures like Richard Sherman or Tom Brady.

In 2014, Vonn tore her ACL in another race, ending her season. However, this time, there would be no miraculous comeback. The ACL is a main muscle/ligament in the knee that holds the joint intact and when torn, it is one of the most painful injuries there is to have. Vonn was devastated that her season was over early, but she did not let the injury bring her spirits down. She posted updates on her recovery on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. As a big fan of Lindsey Vonn, it was truly inspirational to watch. Spanish teacher, Chamby Zepeda, commented, “She is a very influential and super resilient athlete that has overcome obstacles that a normal Olympian would not encounter.”

The media and fans have rallied around Vonn as she recovered from her injuries. Jack Hanson ‘18 added, “I hope she doesn’t get injured again because I want to see her in the world championship.”

Recently, Vonn broke her arm in training. This should prove to be only be a minor setback for Vonn, although she did need surgery. She said that her surgery went successfully as stated in one of her latest tweets: “While I am beyond frustrated by this latest setback, at least my knees are OK and I will return to the slopes as soon as possible, as I always do! Thank you for the continued love and support, it means so much to me.”

Vonn continues to prevail through injury after injury and upholds the title for “Winningest Woman Ski Racer.” Lillia Machado ‘20, said, “Good for her, power to her! I feel bad that she keeps getting hurt and I hope she gets better for the season.” The ski community hopes that this bad luck streak ends soon for Lindsey. We want her to make a speedy recovery so that she can continue to do what she loves. She’s one tough cookie!