“I Hope This Doesn’t Sound Arrogant”: Lindsey Vonn Once Shared a Harsh Truth About an Athlete’s Legacy

Retired alpine skiing racer turned businesswoman Lindsey Vonn has shown no signs of stopping down even after retirement. The four-time Olympian is a racer in real life as well. She skis past criticism, reasons, excuses, and injuries and doesn’t stop until the finishing line she has set for herself is reached.

There is no stopping the racer if she sets her focus on something. Her every victory is a result of pain, bruises, broken bones, concussions, and a strong will. Fair to say, she chooses to be unapologetic. Her keenness and effort to evolve as a better person with every experience have made her self-confidence her biggest strength. Sometimes, she worries if it is arrogant. In an interview, she shared about her crash at the Super-G event in Austria and explains why she had no choice but to be arrogant.

Lindsey Vonn always dreams big

Going through the major events of Lindsey’s life, one can say that the journey of her life has not been easy. However, she conquered every barrier and proved to the world that no unfortunate event can stop one from achieving their goals. Just as winning championships is normal to Lindsey, getting injured and making a comeback is equally normal. 

Her attitude towards adversities is overwhelming. She accepts it as a part of the journey and never regrets it. In 2013, it was widely debated whether Vonn could bounce back after a career-threatening injury, her divorce in progress, and her blossoming relationship with Tiger Woods. Lindsey paid no heed to the doubts and shared about what she aimed to do despite going through a roller-coaster of emotions.

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The skiing racer had won 59 World Cup races then. She needed three more victories to beat the Austrian skier Annemarie Moser-Proll and make the record for the most women’s World Cup victories in history. When her fitness and comeback possibility was questioned, she steadfastly said, “I hope this doesn’t sound arrogant, but I think I will, yes.” 

Why this struggle? 

The skiing champion’s career-threatening injury in 2013 was unlike her past injuries. Vonn shared that she could always push her way through any injury but she couldn’t that time. Talking about how she felt, she said, “For the first time I had an injury which was greater than my will.”

Despite putting in all her effort, she found it extremely hard to accept her helplessness. A very simple thing like getting a coffee was also not possible and she could do nothing but sit. “There was no pushing-only waiting.” She recounted

Though it was heart-wrenching, she kept reminding herself of one thing – not to stop until she had set the bar as high as possible for anyone coming after her. She would not stop until then. In her own words, ”I want to ensure that people don’t forget me.” 

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If one felt that she had not provided very compelling justifications for why she put herself through a terrible struggle, the following statement would make more sense. “For an athlete, records are the only thing that lasts. The only thing that people will remember.”