Third finish for Jessie Diggins at Tour de Ski! The alpine skiing event’s 2024-25 edition concluded with the final 10 km women’s freestyle climb up Alpe Cermis. Norwegian skier Therese Johaug claimed her fourth Tour de Ski title on Sunday. American Alpine Ski Racers Jessie Diggins, Sophia Laukli, and Julia Kern delivered impressive performances. What is more? They were in for a surprise as Lindsey Vonn and others were in attendance to boost their spirits.

US alpine ski racers showed up to cheer for their country at the Tour de Ski despite their busy schedules. Lindsey Vonn, Lauren Macuga, AJ Hurt, and others were present to cheer for Diggins, Laukli, and Kern. We are beaming at this phenomenal display of love and solidarity. To make it even better, Jessie Diggins secured her third position in the overall rankings at the Tour de Ski.

The United States Ski Team has us wishing for a friendship like theirs. Lindsey Vonn posted the sweetest story on her Instagram. The story leaves us in awe of friendship and camaraderie. The caption said, “went to cheer on these bada** women today!!.” We wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. In her interview with the Swedish media outlet Expressen, Vonn expressed how much she had enjoyed cheering for Diggins and others, “It was really fun to be here!. I love being able to join and cheer on our girls. Jessie is so strong and tough.”

Following the spectacular performance at the Italian venue, social media teemed with expressions of love and friendship. “When teammates support each other across sports,” “the women’s alpine speed team including @lindseyvonn stopped by the last stage of Tour de Ski to support cross country!!,” posted the U.S. Ski and Snowboarding Team on its official X handle. Off the court, Vonn is a phenomenal source of support for many. The Olympic champion has consistently spoken up about her mental health battles.

How Lindsey Vonn deals with adversities off the court

The 3-time Olympic champion shared her experience with mental health battles in her appearance on Jay Glazer’s podcast ‘Unbreakable’ in June 2023.”I have depression, I have had it since I was a teenager,” Lindsey admitted on the podcast. In the world of sports, depression was a sign of weakness. Addressing this stigma in her conversation with Jay, Lindsey Vonn emphasizes her belief in normalizing mental health issues: “I always feel like it’s like an injury or a muscle strain…” She has continued her quest of destigmatizing mental health to this day.

Plagued by depression and facing problems in her personal life, Lindsey has found unparalleled solace in skiing. She lost a source of respite when she had to give up skiing momentarily in 2019, owing to multiple injuries. However, besides skiing, she finds joy in her rescued fur babies. She refers to her dogs as the “number one thing” that helps improve her mental health. In a surprising turn of events, Vonn made a return to competitive skiing in December 2024. She celebrated this comeback through an Instagram post on December 21, calling her 14th place finish at the Super G Race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, “a perfect place to start,” stating that “This is only the beginning.” We are so pumped to see what the future holds for this Olympic champion.

Lindsey Vonn and others sure make good teammates. Jessie Diggins mentions she was able to win the overall World Cup despite her eating disorders, thanks to the support of her sensitive teammates. In her 2020 memoir, ‘Brave Enough,’ Jessie Diggins narrates her battle with eating disorders. Despite keeping herself fit, Diggins’ eating disorder never went away. Just like Vonn, Diggins continues to openly talk about her mental health battles.

Apart from Lindsey Vonn and Jessie Diggins, stellar Olympic athletes like Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, and Simone Biles have openly addressed the issue of mental health in the world of sports. Owing to their consistent efforts, the stigma around mental health has progressively shattered. Although much has been achieved, there is still a long way to go. Lindsey Vonn is steadfast in her commitment to raising mental health awareness. As she stated in an MSNBC piece in 2022, “There’s so many of us out there that are experiencing the same thing. You’re definitely not alone.“