“Like Rocky Balboa”: Skiing Legend Lindsey Vonn Recalls Rigorous Training That Led to Her First Olympic Medal

US Olympic legend Lindsey Vonn has won several laurels in the discipline of alpine skiing. The 39-year-old had a ravishing career that propelled her to the top of everyone, including male skiers. But, while many see the shine of her medals and world cups, Vonn had to go through a tough training routine behind the scenes to become the world’s greatest.

Lindsey Vonn is known for her resilience, which kept her going despite severely injuring her knee. Making an appearance on a podcast recently, the skiing legend dived into the details of what actually roughened her up. Interestingly, she even ended up comparing the toughness of her drills to that of the boxing great Rocky Balboa.

What made Lindsey Vonn tough as nails and fast as a feather

Lindsey Vonn was invited to the latest episode of ‘The Why with Dwyane Wade’ Podcast. The NBA legend discussed several things with her, one of which was hard work and the surrounding perception. Speaking about it, Vonn said, “I was one of those kids that I thought I was working hard until I realized that I wasn’t.” But Vonn tried to find the way out.

Instead of brooding about it, Lindsey Vonn thought about why she wasn’t getting the results others were. She said, “I realized that, well, I wasn’t really working that hard in the gym. I was doing what I was told to do, but nothing more.” Following this, she agreed to go to Monaco on her father’s advice, where she lived and trained with a Polish instructor.

Suddenly, the 17-year-old Lindsey Vonn found herself thrown into a very demanding training routine. She said, “ It was like tearing you down to build you back up, and what I thought was hard work was so far from it. He showed me how far I could push my body. After that moment, it was like nothing could be as hard as this.”

Vonn further added, “It was pretty aggressive. I’m not going to lie.” As Wade pointed out, “It was like Rocky Balboa,” Vonn said, “Yeah. It was like, run until I stop.” This prompted Wade to ask why she did it and if she loved it. To this, Lindsey Vonn came up with a very different and steely answer.

The drive and determination to stand on top

In response to Wade’s question, Lindsey Vonn said, “Because I wanted to be better. I knew it was either I do this, and I get better, or I do this, I don’t, and I quit. Those were the only two options.” With this training, Vonn also got a very enlightened measure of what her limits are and how she can push those boundaries if she chooses to work hard.

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Most importantly, it gifted Lindsey Vonn with the resilience that saw her dominate a sport that demands a lot of energy. All these years of hard work finally culminated in 2010 with her first Olympic medal. And as Vonn pointed out, all this happened because of a dramatic shift in her perspective of what hard work was, as instilled by her coach. Have you ever had such a breakthrough realization about hard work or work ethic? Speak your mind in the comments.

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