The greatest female alpine skier of all time arguably has one last shot at Olympic Winter Games glory. Here’s five things you may not know about Lindsey Vonn, the doyenne of the slopes…
Sport all-rounder
Renowned for her prowess on two skis, Vonn is no slouch in other sporting disciplines. She is a keen golfer while her love of tennis has seen her share a court with the legendary Roger Federer, of whom she is a big fan. And Vonn also has a hole-in-one to her name on the golf course, achieving the feat in one of her first 18-hole rounds. She also previously dated former world number player Tiger Woods.
Gender battle
The American ski racer is one of just six people to have won World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing: downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and combined. But she has set her sights on taking on the men this season if possible. She is pushing skiing governing body, the FIS, to allow her to race against her male counterparts. Vonn recently said: “I know I’m not going to win but I would like to at least have the opportunity to try.”
Animal lover
Vonn has something of a collection of pets across the globe. At home, she has three dogs: Lucy, Leo and Bear, who boast their own Instagram page with 21,000 followers and counting. They regularly feature in her workout sessions. But in addition, she has picked up other animals as prizes during her skiing career. The first was a cow in 2005, which she won in Val d’Isere. The cow was pregnant and later gave birth to a foal.
The avalanche pups and I are keeping the mountain safe ❤. @vailmtn pic.twitter.com/UmFmXIqCE3
— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) March 29, 2017
Is Hollywood calling?
The 33-year-old may yet have a future as an actress when she finally hangs up her skiing lycra. She made an appearance in an episode of Law & Order in 2010, entitled Rubber Room. Her role was that of an office assistant and she had a brief speaking part, delivered wearing glasses while sitting behind a desk. She has said she would embrace the idea of further acting opportunities in the future.
Language skills
Vonn is fluent in German, and took up language classes early in her career to help her communication during the European part of the season. She is also friends with former German ski rival Maria Hölf-Riesch, and regularly visits her family home in Garmish, while Höfl-Riesch has herself travelled to the United States to visit Vonn during her various injury rehabilitation programmes.
