Four-time World Cup champion and great American Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn‘s dream of competing in the Milano-Cortina Winter Games came to a harrowing end after she crashed during her first run in Livigno, Italy. The heartbreaking crash required that Vonn be airlifted to the hospital, as she sustained multiple injuries.
On Monday, Vonn shared a detailed post on Instagram recounting her journey back to fitness after an ACL tear suffered just days before the Winter Games and how it all ended with her crash on Sunday. The 41-year-old is the 2010 Winter Olympics downhill champion, but her injury and the latest crash have now permanently sidelined her from the Milano-Cortina Games.
“Yesterday, my Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would. It wasn’t a storybook ending or a fairy tale; it was just life. I dared to dream and had worked so hard to achieve it… I tried. I dreamt. I jumped. I hope that if you take away anything from my journey, it’s that you all dare to dare greatly. Life is too short not to take chances on yourself. Because the only failure in life is not trying,” Vonn wrote.
Prominent figures from various fields quickly responded to Vonn’s post, calling her words and actions truly inspiring and affirming that she is a true legend of the sport who demonstrated immense resilience.
The list included former tennis players Sabine Lisicki and Rennae Stubbs, World No. 2 Jannik Sinner, actress Reese Witherspoon, rugby player Ilona Maher, legendary gymnast Simone Biles, and many others.
Sinner was one among the first to comment on the post, showering praise and support for Vonn. The Italian is a fan of the Winter Olympics and has also won Italy’s junior national championship in alpine skiing’s giant slalom at the age of eight. Sinner is making the most of his rest period post the Australian Open to recuperate and enjoy the Winter Games as an ambassador and a volunteer.
Jannik Sinner Still Finds Time and Enjoys Skiing Whenever He is Back Home
During an exclusive interview with Vogue at the Milano-Cortina Games, Sinner was asked multiple questions about his love for alpine skiing and whether he still finds time to ski when he travels back home during the winter offseason.
“Yeah, it’s an interesting relationship. When I’m at home in the wintertime, I really love to go. But I was starting to get very, very careful four or five years ago. I had to be sure that nothing happened. [Before that], I think I was not mature enough. I started to realize that injuries can happen really quickly,” Sinner said.
“Of course, though, I look and watch and follow a lot of skiing… I really love it; there are some great, great Italian athletes. [But for me,] I am definitely going less and less, just because of the simple fact that you can get hurt and you never know what’s going to happen,” he added.
Sinner will look to redeem his heartbreaking loss in Melbourne when he headlines a star-studded field at the Doha Open (ATP 500), starting February 16.
Also read:
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