Lindsey Vonn released a statement Wednesday morning after her Olympic downhill racing career wrapped up with a bronze medal Tuesday night.
The American-born star posted a montage of photos of herself on Instagram with the following message:
After all of the horrific crashes and all of the surgeries, I took my tears of pain and turned them into tears of pure joy. It took me 8 years but i fought my way back and today bronze feels like gold. Congrats to the real medalist @iamsofiagoggia And @ragmow I need to say thank you to everyone who has gotten me to this point; my family, friends, coaches, trainers, doctors, therapists and my fans. I am here because of your support! And I so proud to be standing together with all of my amazing teammates. I am humbled to have raced with all of you @lalalaurenne @staceycookusa @breezyjohnsonski @thealigator @aliweather_ @jacquelinewiles THANK YOU….gonna try to stop crying now #nevergiveup
I know we were all hoping for a gold medal in her final downhill race. She’s been a skiing icon for a large portion of my life, and she’s been a star off of the slopes as well.
A bronze medal is still one hell of an incredible accomplishment in downhill skiing, and Vonn left an impact on the sport that will be felt for years to come. She had a very long road to recovery after hurting her arm in an awful crash, so getting to the 2018 winter Olympics was a win in and of itself.
There will be plenty of opportunities for Vonn after the Olympics. I sense that she’s bound for the entertainment world, where she’ll likely crush it.