Lindsey Vonn

Not to be confused with Lindsey Van.

Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn at Laureus World Sports Awards in April 2024
Personal information
Birth nameLindsey Caroline Kildow
Born (1984-10-18) October 18, 1984 (age 40)
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
OccupationAlpine skier
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Skiing career
DisciplinesDownhill, super-G,
giant slalom, combined
(also slalom before 2012)
ClubVail SSC
World Cup debutNovember 18, 2000 (age 16)
RetiredFebruary 10, 2019 (age 34)
WebsiteLindseyVonn.com
Olympics
Teams4 – (2002, 2006, 2010, 2018)
Medals3 (1 gold)
World Championships
Teams7 – (2005–19)
Medals8 (2 gold)
World Cup
Seasons19 – (2001–2019)
Wins82 – (43 DH, 28 SG, 4 GS, 2 SL, 5 SC)
Podiums137 – (66 DH, 46 SG, 6 GS, 5 SL, 13 SC, 1 PSL)
Overall titles4 – (2008–10, 2012)
Discipline titles16 – (8 DH, 5 SG, 3 SC)
Medal record
Women's alpine skiing
Representing the  United States
International alpine ski competitions
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 1 0 2
World Championships 2 3 3
Total 3 3 5
World Cup race podiums
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Downhill 43 16 7
Super-G 28 11 7
Giant 4 1 1
Slalom 2 2 1
Combined 5 5 3
Parallel 0 0 1
Total 82 35 20
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2010 Vancouver Downhill
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Vancouver Super-G
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Pyeongchang Downhill
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2009 Val-d'Isère Downhill
Gold medal – first place 2009 Val-d'Isère Super-G
Silver medal – second place 2007 Åre Downhill
Silver medal – second place 2007 Åre Super-G
Silver medal – second place 2011 Garmisch Downhill
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Beaver Creek Super-G
Bronze medal – third place 2017 St. Moritz Downhill
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Åre Downhill
Junior World Ski Championships
Silver medal – second place 2003 Puy St. Vincent Downhill
Silver medal – second place 2004 Maribor Downhill
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Maribor Giant slalom

Lindsey Caroline Vonn (née Kildow /kɪldaʊ/; born October 18, 1984)[1] is an American World Cup alpine ski racer. She won four World Cup overall championships – third amongst female skiers to Annemarie Moser-Pröll and Mikaela Shiffrin – with three consecutive titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010,[2] plus another in 2012.[3] Vonn won the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the first one for an American woman.[4] She also won a record eight World Cup season titles in the downhill discipline (2008–2013, 2015, 2016), five titles in super-G (2009–2012, 2015), and three consecutive titles in the combined (2010–2012). In 2016, she won her 20th World Cup crystal globe title, the overall record for men or women, surpassing Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden, who won 19 globes from 1975 to 1984. She has the third highest super ranking of all skiers, men or women.

Vonn is one of six women[5] to have won World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing – downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and super combined – and won 82 World Cup races in her career. Her total of 82 World Cup victories was a women's record until January 2023, when it was surpassed by Shiffrin. Only Shiffrin and Stenmark, with 86 World Cup victories, have more victories than Vonn. With her Olympic gold and bronze medals, two World Championship gold medals in 2009 (plus three silver medals in 2007 and 2011), and four overall World Cup titles, Vonn is one of the most successful American ski racers, and is considered one of the greatest of all skiers.[6]

In 2011, Vonn received the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award,[7][8] and was the United States Olympic Committee's sportswoman of the year.[9] Injuries caused Vonn to miss parts of several seasons, including almost all of the 2014 season and most of the 2013 season. While recovering from injury, she worked as a correspondent for NBC News, covering the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. In 2019, she announced her retirement, citing her injuries. Vonn announced she was returning to competitive skiing in November 2024.

  1. ^ "Athlete information: VONN Lindsey". Fédération Internationale de Ski. Archived from the original on March 31, 2013. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  2. ^ "Lindsey Vonn wins 3rd straight overall World Cup". ESPN. Associated Press. March 12, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  3. ^ "Lindsey Vonn wins Are GS; clinches fourth overall title". FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. Fédération Internationale de Ski. March 9, 2012. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  4. ^ "Vonn, Mancuso go 1–2 in downhill". ESPN. Associated Press. February 17, 2010.
  5. ^ "Tina Maze makes history again by winning the super-G in St. Anton". Fédération Internationale de Ski. January 13, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  6. ^ Svrluga, Barry (February 21, 2018). "Bronze doesn't begin to tell the story of the greatest female ski racer of all time". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  7. ^ "Nadal and Vonn win Laureus awards". BBC Sport. February 7, 2011.
  8. ^ "PAST WINNERS". Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
  9. ^ "Vonn, Lysacek take home USOC awards; more Olympic notes". CNN. January 25, 2011. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012.