Legendary Lindsey Vonn Overturned Coaches’ Shocking Prediction on Her Olympic Career

Only the greatest athletes know the hard work and determination required to reach that point. Obstacles and struggles are a natural part of any journey, but how you maneuver through them all determines the epitome of your success. Alpine Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn is no stranger to either the struggle or the success that follows.

As a beginner, Vonn worked with multiple coaches to try to bring out the best in her. However, few of them believed in her skiing abilities.

Lindsey Vonn reveals her coaches did not believe in her

As a professional athlete, the most important thing that motivates you is the support from your coaches and cohorts. But if the same people don’t put their faith in you, it can lead to self-doubt. The same thing happened with Lindsey Vonn.

While giving an interview, Vonn talked about how her coaches never thought he would be any good. “Oh yeah, my coaches, I overheard them and they, yeah, they said that Julia Mancuso is going to be the next best thing and I wasn’t going anywhere, and they should just put all their money on her because she’s going to go to the 2002 Olympics and not me.”

Notably, both Lindsey and Julie made it to the 2002 Olympics. While Julie finished 13th overall, Lindsey finished 6th- making her the best finisher amongst all the US women’s skiers. Lindsey also mentioned that she works as hard as she can to prove to the person who said she can’t do something- wrong.

Incidentally, Vonn would win multiple medals throughout her career, including a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She also holds the American record for most World Cup wins and ranks 2nd in the list of most World cup wins in history.

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The greatest advice Vonn ever received

People say advice can make or break one’s career. The downhill skiing specialist from America was also at the receiving end of much advice, especially during her years as a beginner. In the same interview, Vonn revealed the greatest piece of advice she ever got from her coach.

Eric Styler, Vonn’s coach from her days in Minnesota, gave her the advice- just to be herself. He always told her she’s fast the way she is. A lot of coaches tried to change Lindsey’s technique and told her she will never be good enough. While Eric just said that she skis in such a way because that is who she is.

The fire that Lindsey’s coaches ignited in her mind helped her achieve great success throughout her career. And it also gave the fans a chance to witness greatness.

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