Becoming a top athlete means exposing yourself to the public eye. The greater your achievements in the sport, the more fans are curious about your personal life. The media scrutiny of the nation?s heroes is a given, but for Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods, the curiosity became a serious invasion of privacy.
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The alpine skiing icon and golfing GOAT were in an almost three-year-long relationship between 2013 to 2015. A couple of years after their split, however, they became victims of a hacking scandal.
Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods had their pictures leaked
The relationship gained a lot of media attention; the couple made headlines repeatedly throughout the three years they were together. They started dating a few months after Lindsey Vonn?s divorce from her ex-husband. And the public nature of her relationship with Tiger Woods was tough for her to deal with at times.?
?It?s hard enough to break up with a boyfriend without having to issue a press release about it,??her sister Karin Kildow?told Sports Illustrated. Vonn received some backlash from the public for dating Tiger Woods. This is because just a few years prior, his extramarital affairs had come to light. They announced their break-up through social media, Vonn wrote on Facebook, ?After nearly three years together, Tiger and I have mutually decided to end our relationship.?
In 2017, Tiger Woods became a victim of a hacking scandal. Here. intimate pictures of the golfer and ex-girlfriend Lindsey Vonn were published on the internet. The athlete duo threatened to sue the hackers responsible for the gross invasion of their privacy. ?It is a disgusting attack on someone’s private life to illegally steal and post these photos,??said?a spokesperson for Vonn.
Unfortunately, Vonn and Woods aren?t the only athletes whose private information got leaked.
Hackers targeted Serena Williams and Simone Biles
In 2016, Russian hackers?leaked confidential medical files of US Olympic athletes. This includes tennis star sisters Serena and Venus Williams, along with gymnastics sensation,?Simone Biles. A group called “Fancy Bears” gained access to the World Anti-Doping Agency?s database and published classified information on the internet.
According to the information, Biles and the Williams sisters had tested positive for drugs that appeared on the WADA-banned substance list. The intention was to paint them as rule-breaking hypocrites. The Olympic gymnastics champion addressed these allegations with simple facts.?
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Biles revealed that doctors had diagnosed her with ADHD when she was 9. Consequently, the medication helped her manage the symptoms. She tweeted, ?Having ADHD, and taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing that I’m afraid to let people know.?
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Venus Williams also released a statement in response. It explained that they had followed all established rules to gain exemptions from the Tennis Anti-Doping Program. The breach of their privacy and medical rights became a huge scandal and made headlines for days.
DIVE DEEPER:?Tiger Woods Once Got Candid After Breaking Up With Ex Lindsey Vonn: ?It?s Just Brutal On Me?