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When you’re the best it can be tough coming to terms that you’re probably no longer the best – even more so when you’re suffering a lot of physical pain.
Lindsey Vonn is at a watershed moment. She’s sad her glittering ski career is coming to an end, but as she looks back on her career and forward to what the future might hold, Vonn has become increasingly fearful of the onset of arthritis should she race on to try to become the most successful skier ever.
The 34-year-old American needs five more wins on the World Cup circuit to beat Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 82, but she is adamant this will be her final season whatever.
“I want to be able to walk without pain when I’m older and hopefully some day I’ll be able to ski with my kids and that’s important to me,” Vonn told CNN’s Alpine Edge in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Vonn will return for a one-off appearance at her favorite Lake Louise, Canada venue in November, but she insists she won’t be tempted to carry on should she be on the cusp of the record.
“I’ve extended my career probably longer than I should have already but I’m finally succumbing to what my body has been telling me for a while. That’s why I can’t keep going,” she said.
“There will be long-term effects – I will have arthritis, I will have joint pain, I will have a lot of pain in a lot of different places, but I still want to finish on my own terms.”
The world's greatest female ski racer Lindsey Vonn has officially retired from the sport after her final race at the World Championships in Are. Here's a look back at her glittering career.
She made her Olympic debut at Salt Lake City 2002 as a 17-year-old, finishing 32nd in slalom and sixth in the combined slalom/downhill event.
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Lindsey Kildow -- as she was then before marrying fellow skier Thomas Vonn -- won her first World Cup race with victory in the downhill at Lake Louise, Canada, in 2004.
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In 2005, Vonn signed with Red Bull and began working with a completely new coaching team. She seemed set for the start of something special.
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Any momentum from the new deal was slowed during the 2006 Olympics in Italy, though. A fall in practice resulted in a short stay in hospital. She recovered in time to compete but could only manage seventh in the Super G and eighth in the downhill events.
Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
However, Vonn quickly bounced back and won the first of three straight World Cup titles in 2008 at the age of 23.
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Golden girl Vonn achieved her Olympic dreams in 2010. She won the Olympic downhill gold at Whistler and added bronze in the super-G.
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Vonn added a fourth World Cup title in 2012, but is still behind Annemarie Moser-Proell's record of six overall crystal globes.
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Vonn's public profile went galactic when she dated star golfer Tiger Woods for two years between 2013 and 2015.
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In 2013, Vonn suffered an horrific crash at the World Championships in Austria. She underwent reconstructive knee surgery and began a long road to recovery. She attempted to return a year later, only to pull out of the 2014 Olympics after aggravating the injury again.
OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Injuries continued to hamper Vonn. She fractured her left knee in February 2016 in a crash during a World Cup super-G race in Soldeu, Andorra, but raced the combined event the next day before calling an end to her season.
Vonn worked hard to get back in time to challenge for gold medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The American left PyeongChang with a bronze medal in the downhill but insisted she was proud to have made it through her injuries.
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Vonn announced the current ski World Cup season would be her last. She is already the most successful woman in World Cup history with 82 victories and was chasing down Ingemar Stenmark's overall World Cup record of 86 victories in her sights.
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However, a knee injury from a training crash in November meant she couldn't start her season until January. On her debut in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, she was still struggling with knee pain.
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After much soul-searching Vonn announced that she will retire from skiing after competing in the World Championships in Are, Sweden in February 2019. "My body is screaming at me to STOP and it's time for me to listen," she said.
Francis Bompard/Agence Zoom/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
In her opening race at the World Championships, Vonn suffered a heavy crash and careered into safety netting. She was eventually able to ski to the bottom and said she would still compete in the downhill to bring the curtain down on her glittering career.
Alexis Boichard/Agence Zoom/Getty Images
Despite her damaged knees, Vonn was able to retire on a positive note. She battled back to win bronze in the downhill -- becoming the oldest woman to secure a medal at a world championships and the first female racer to medal at six world championships.
The American retired four wins short of equaling Stenmark's record of 86 World Cup wins and the Swedish great (left) was in Are to watch Vonn's final race. "I basically begged him to come here," Vonn said.
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Lindsey Vonn: Greatest female skier retires
Vonn has been plagued with injuries throughout her career, and was only able to begin her farewell season Friday – placing 15th while wearing two knee braces in a downhill in Cortina – after damaging her knee in October.
Even with time running out, she believes she can reach Stenmark’s tally, but says that’s no longer her sole focus.
“You know, I’m still confident I can achieve it,” said Vonn. “I wouldn’t say I’m as fixated on that goal as I was in the past. With all the injuries I’ve had it’s definitely made me put things in perspective.
“I want to enjoy my last season, I don’t want to just think about the record and be mad at myself if I don’t get it.
“I’ve accomplished so much more in my career than I ever expected and I don’t think focusing only on this record is a good idea for me mentally, and it doesn’t sum up my career as a whole.”
Vonn empathized with Andy Murray’s potential farewell to his tennis career because of a long-term hip problem, and echoed his disappointment at how injury can cut sporting careers short.
“It’s not really about what I want, it’s about what I can physically do, and I just can’t physically do it anymore,” she said.
“It’s not really a lack of motivation or will or determination – I would keep going for many more years, I’ve no problem working hard and doing what I need to do in the gym, and obviously I love going fast, but my body doesn’t love going fast anymore.”
To replace the thrill of downhill ski racing, the fiercely driven Vonn has been discussing a move into Hollywood with her friend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the wrestler-turned-movie star.
“He thinks I could be good at action films,” she says. “I’m not sure, I’ve never tried anything like that in my life, but he knows what he’s talking about. I do like to drive fast.”
Vonn made her World Cup debut at the age of 16 in 2000 and has suffered a string of injuries over the years, including major knee ligament damage which stopped her from defending her Olympic downhill title in Sochi in 2014.
But each time she has doggedly fought back to return to the sport, and she jokingly offered Murray the services of her physio.
“I told him to call my physical therapist because she does miracles. If anyone can bring him back, she can,” laughed Vonn, who is also looking forward to spending time with family and friends, and focusing on her business interests when she hangs up her skis.
Hot on her heels as the poster girl of women’s skiing is compatriot Mikaela Shiffrin who has become arguably the most dominant athlete in world sport – and Vonn believes she could rewrite the record books.
The 23-year-old Shiffrin has won 10 times this season to climb to 53 World Cup wins overall to sit third on the women’s all-time list behind Vonn and Swiss great Vreni Schneider.
“It’s incredible to watch what she’s doing and I’m sure she’s going to break many records down the road,” Vonn added.
“I hope she stays healthy and continues her success and I look forward to watching her when I get home on the couch.
“It’s really important for the sport to have someone like her and great for the US as well.”
American skier Mikaela Shiffrin is arguably the most dominant athlete in sport right now. The 24-year-old has taken skiing by storm, winning 17 World Cup races across four of the six disciplines last season to take her overall tally to 60 victories. Here's a look back at her short but sweet career so far.
Alain Grosclaude/Getty Images
2011 —
Shiffrin grew up skiing from an early age thanks to parents who were both competitive college skiers. She rose quickly through the junior ranks and joined the World Cup circuit two days before her 16th birthday in 2011.
The American (right) secured her first World Cup medal in December 2011, winning a bronze in the slalom. Her potential didn't go unnoticed as she was named rookie of the year.
The youngster continued her good form, winning a further three World Cup slalom races that season. She also struck slalom gold at the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, Austria.
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2013 —
She ended a remarkable season with a first World Cup slalom crown, which she defended the following year.
As world champion, the pressure was on the 18-year-old to perform at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. She didn't disappoint. Shiffrin became the youngest ever Olympic slalom champion and the first American to win the title in 42 years.
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2015 —
Following her Olympic success, the American won her third straight World Cup slalom crown in 2015. She also defended her slalom title at the 2015 World Championships.
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
2016 —
A knee injury stalled her career the following season and she had to settle for fourth in the slalom standings.
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
2017 —
Shiffrin was back to her best in 2017, though, winning a fifth slalom World Cup title and adding a third World Championship gold. She also won her first overall World Cup title.
VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
2018 —
As her reputation grew, so did her popularity and all eyes were on Shiffrin to perform at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She was affected by the weather-hit schedule and despite winning gold in the giant slalom and silver in the combined she missed out completely in slalom. But she won the World Cup overall and slalom titles again at the end of the season to confirm her status as America's new superstar.
FLORIAN CHOBLET/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Shiffrin has been on fire during the 2018-19 season and has made waves beyond ski racing for her level of consistency and domination. She has climbed to fifth on the list off all-time most successful ski racers, and third woman behind Lindsey Vonn and Annemarie Moser-Proll.
TIZIANA FABI/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
At the 2019 FIS World Championships in Are, Sweden she struck in the opening super-G race to score her fourth world title.
Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images
And she clinched a remarkable fourth straight slalom world title -- a streak stretching back to 2013 -- to go with a bronze in the giant slalom in Sweden.
Hans Bezard/Getty Images
Following the World Championships, Shiffrin won a World Cup slalom event in Stockholm to score a record-equaling 14th title of the season. She also wrapped up a third straight season slalom crown and sixth in seven years. She clinched a third straight overall crown when racing was canceled in Sochi.
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Soon after she pushed the record to 15 wins - unprecedented for men or women -- with a slalom victory (her 58th) in the Czech Republic.
Alexis Boichard/Getty Images
At the World Cup finals in Soldeu, Andorra in March, Shiffrin wrapped up a third Crystal Globe of 2019 with a first season title in the super-G.
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Mikaela Shiffrin: The most dominant sportswoman on the planet?
Looking ahead to ski racing in 20 years’ time, Vonn is worried about the effect of global warming on the sport.
“The biggest thing I’ve seen is the glaciers are melting at an incredible rate,” she said.
“The glaciers I went to when I was a kid don’t look anything remotely like they used to. You go up to Zermatt or Saas Fee or Hintertux or Soelden, they’ve got very little of the glacial ice they used to have.
“They are constantly having to push snow to fill in the crevasses because they’re getting bigger and bigger because it’s getting warmer and warmer. You see them using these tarps to try to save what little ice they can.
“It’s sad, not just for the sport but that’s our planet. It really irritates me and frustrates me that people don’t acknowledge global warming doesn’t exist.”
