Lindsey Vonn said she is retiring on her own terms, not anyone else’s.
Recovering from a horrific crash that nearly led to the amputation of her left leg, Vonn, 41, was in no mood for retirement talk during a recent social media conversation. That chatter has increased in volume given her age, her resume and, unfortunately, her injuries.
TIZIANA FABI via Getty Images
Vonn has undergone five surgeries since suffering a complex left tibial fracture after she cut a fence and sailed 13 seconds off course during her Feb. 8 run in the women’s downhill at the Cortina Olympics in Milan.
Despite everything, Vonn remains determined in her quest to keep skiing.
“Who said I was retiring?” she wrote during the exchange on social media.
One fan commented: “Ego is so strong here. Take your medicine Lindsey. You almost lost your leg. Put your feet up and be done.”
Apparently that didn’t sit well with Vonn.
“I think you are confusing my ego with joy,” she wrote. “I’ve said it all my life; I love skiing. I’ll put my feet up when I’m good and ready, thank you.
Vonn’s comments probably aren’t music to the ears of her father Alan Kildow, who last month publicly called on her to hang up her skis.
“She is 41 years old and this is the end of her career,” Kildow told the Associated Press in February. “There will be no more ski racing for Lindsey Vonn as long as I have a say in it.”
When she retired with a partially rebuilt right knee, Vonn was considered a medal contender at the Olympics before her final World Cup race a week earlier. She tore her left ACL during that descent, although she said she was still able to ski during the Games.
Vonn was looking for her second gold medal in the downhill, having won in Vancouver in 2010. She also has two bronze medals. She has 84 World Cup victories to her name, including two this season.
