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Lindsey Vonn has revealed the mantra that made her one of the greatest female alpine skiers, claiming that more than success, it was failures that propelled her rise into the history books.
Vonn featured in over 19 World Cup seasons, totaling 82 wins, the second highest in history. She won three Olympic medals and eight World Championship medals in her career. Before bidding farewell to the sport in 2019, Vonn was regarded as the greatest of all-time female skiers.
But her rise to the history books wasn't an easy one. Multiple injuries over the 19-year career kept pushing her back but each time, she made stronger comebacks. During the 2006 Olympic Games, Lindsey Vonn had to be airlifted from the skiing course following an injury. Two days later, she returned to take eighth position in downhill, and at the next Olympic Games, Vonn secured her first Olympic gold medal.
Speaking with the Travis Manion Foundation in an online interview, Lindsey Vonn detailed her success mantra. She claimed:
"Adversity teaches us so much more than success. I don't learn anything from success other than, wow people love that I win. If I'm really thinking about it and reflecting, that, adversities have all made me such a stronger person."
During the 2010 Olympics, when she won gold in the downhill discipline, Vonn had entered the competition already struggling with injuries suffered during pre-Olympics preparations. She competed through ‘excruciating’ pain, and the pain eventually turned to joy when the gold medal shone around her neck.
Lindsey Vonn's advice for young kids
Every aspiring alpine skier either idolizes Mikaela Shiffrin or Lindsey Vonn, and the latter believes we need to teach kids that they need to fail to succeed. She advised the younger generation that failures are part of life, but they don't need to give up whenever they find it hard to keep going.
"We need to teach kids that you will fail. You will fail over and over but you have to get back up. You cannot let it define you and you can't quit every time you hit a bump in the road," Vonn revealed to Travis Manion Foundation.
The 39-year-old is a huge inspiration for young girls across the globe. Her success isn't just limited to alpine skiing. Lindsey Vonn has grown to become a successful businesswoman and has invested in various teams and brands, the latest being the USA SailGP team.
