Alpine Skiing Legend Lindsey Vonn Opened Up About the Reasons for Hiding Her Depression- “I Didn’t Even Tell My Parents”

In a special episode of the Gucci Podcast, Lindsey Vonn recently opened up about her battle with depression. She talked about how she struggled to come to terms with it, even hiding her diagnosis from her parents initially.

Alongside the show’s host, Chriselle Lim, Vonn discussed all things mental health. She highlighted how, despite her struggles, she skied her way to glory, elevating to legendary status in the sport today.

Lindsey Vonn is a former World Cup alpine ski racer for the United States Ski Team. Vonn had quite the historic career with 4 world cups under her belt. She won three consecutive titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and another one in 2012. Despite her long list of accolades though, Lindsey struggled a lot with her mental health; now, she opened up about the same.

All about Lindsey Vonn’s mental health

Lindsey Vonn’s battle with depression began when she was 18. In this interview, Vonn talks about how lonely the journey was for her initially.

“I mean, for me, mental health wasn’t really a topic of conversation,” Vonn said and continued, “I definitely went through my ups and downs and I had depression since the age of 18.” Vonn explained how isolated she felt in the beginning and why she chose not to speak about it.

“But I never talked about it,” Vonn said and continued, “I didn’t even tell my parents.” 

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As an elite athlete, Vonn found it necessary to main a strong image. As a result, she refrained from opening up publically about her mental health then.

How Vonn’s physical health added to her misery

Despite a glorious run in the snow, Lindsey Vonn faced a fair share of injuries in her career. In fact, reports state injuries were a huge part of the decision behind retiring.

The star skier suffered nine major injuries and had five surgeries from 2006 to 2016. Certainly, not just recovering physically, but even dealing with these injuries mentally might have been equally difficult for Vonn.

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Indeed, her career is a statement of the fact that Lindsey Vonn is a fighter. Despite all the issues she faced, she rose to the top and is today recognized as one of the greatest skiers to have ever graced the sport.