Lindsey Vonn: The US skiing sensation who became the face of winter sports

US skiing sensation Lindsey Vonn doesn’t regret her career in the slightest, but it has come at a cost. 

In her new memoir, the 37-year-old admitted that years of injuries sustained from skiing 85 mph down mountain’s still haven’t fully healed and that she wakes up in pain every day. 

The skiing sensation retired from competitive action in 2019 after a glittering career that spanned nearly two decades. 

Regarded as one of America’s finest ever athletes and the face of winter sports in general, Vonn helped elevate skiing to new heights and her legacy will eternally live on. 

Vonn burst onto the international scene in 1999 when she was just 14-years-old. Competing at Italy’s esteemed Trofeo Topolino competition, she became the first American to win the slalom race. 

Just three years later, she made her Winter Olympics debut in Utah, though she finished only sixth in the Alpine combined event. 

This performance sparked a mind shift for Vonn and she credits fellow skiing legend, Julia Mancuso, for helping change her mentality. 

Mancuso and her father visited Vonn in California and took her on a bike ride. With limited biking experience, the US star found herself miles behind and embarrassed. This moment, she stresses, caused her to realise that she had to drastically rethink her attitude towards training if she was going to be successful. 

In 2007, Vonn tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee but rebounded from this setback to have the most successful year of her career. 

In the 2007-08 World Cup campaign, Vonn won six races to claim her maiden overall title –– finishing more than 200 points ahead of her nearest competitor. 

This momentum continued into the following year, where the American won gold medals in