Lindsey Vonn Retiring: Will 2018 Be Skier’s Last Olympics?

Lindsey Vonn is “99.9 percent” sure the 2018 Winter Olympics will be her final run, but she has stopped short of completely ruling out competing in 2022. The night before the Olympic women’s downhill skiing, Vonn sent out a lengthy tweet regarding her future.

Tomorrow I will push out of the starting gate in what will most likely be my last Olympic Downhill race. I’m trying to enjoy the moment as much as I can and I am thankful to share this race with such amazing teammates. I know everyone expects a lot from me, and I expect even…More of myself….however there’s only one thing I can guarantee; I will give everything I have tomorrow. Count on it.

Everything from her tweets to recent interviews point to this being Vonn’s final Olympics. Vonn spoke with the New York Post about her being “99.9 percent” certain that 2018 will be her final Olympics.

“I haven’t ever completely said that I am not [competing in 2022],” Vonn told the New York Post. “I feel like its 99.9 percent sure that I won’t but who knows, maybe something will come out and they will fix my knee up and I will be like robo-knee and ski like 10 more years and that would be ideal.”

Vonn tore her ACL and MCL in 2013, then re-injured it once she returned to the slopes. The injury kept her out of the 2014 Winter Olympics. If Vonn does end up hanging up her skis, what does life look like after skiing? Vonn hinted at a potential acting career in an interview with the Today Show. Vonn noted her friend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has offered to have her shadow him on set.

“He [The Rock] said he’s going to help me after the season and I can follow him around a little bit and see if it’s really something that I would potentially be able to do,” Vonn told the Today Show.

One of the deciding factors for Vonn potentially calling it quits is the toll the sport has taken on her body. Vonn told the New York Post she would need a “medical miracle” to be able to compete in the next Olympics at age 37.

“Oh yeah, I love what I do,” Vonn told The New York Post. “I have so much fun going fast and pushing myself to the limit on downhill skis there is nothing else I would rather do…So if I could physically continue skiing, then I absolutely will. But at this point, it takes a lot to make my knee good enough to ski downhill, it has to be pretty solid to push yourself at these speeds and be able to trust it…I am just counting on some medical miracles to extend my career.”

Vonn entered the 2018 Olympics with two career Olympic medals, and has an opportunity to add to her career total in her final two events. Regardless of how she finishes, Vonn already has a long list of accomplishments. According to Esquire, Vonn has won 81 awards, just five shy of the record. If Vonn gets her wish, fans may be watching her on the big screen by the time 2022 rolls around.

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