Lindsey Vonn spoke out on social media. © GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / CHRISTIAN PETERSEN

Due to impending loss: Vonn reacts emotionally

US ski star Lindsey Vonn has reacted with an emotional post to the successes of her competitors and the looming loss of first place in the downhill World Cup.

March 07, 2026

From: dpa

“Why does this title mean so much to me? Why am I crying over a crystal globe?” wrote Vonn, who was seriously injured in a leg, in the long text she posted alongside several photos from the season. She had worn the red jersey of the World Cup leader since the first race, “but tomorrow will most likely be my last day as number one.”

Vonn won the first World Cup downhill race in St. Moritz during the Olympic season and had accumulated 400 points before her serious injury at the Games. Emma Aicher closed the gap to Vonn to just 14 points with her second-place finish in the downhill at the San Pellegrino Pass. Winner Laura Pirovano of Italy, now with 336 points, and Kira Weidle-Winkelmann with 306 points could also overtake the American in the second downhill race on Saturday (10:45 a.m.). Only one more downhill race remains in the World Cup season after that.

Vonn will “never forget” the season

“At the start of the season, nobody would have believed I’d even be in this position. I bet people would have laughed if someone had predicted it,” the 41-year-old wrote. In her post, Vonn listed what she had achieved against all odds this winter. She had been on the podium in every race, winning two of them. She had fought her way back to the top “after being retired for six years and having an artificial knee.” That alone was an achievement “I’ll never forget. Even if in a few days nobody remembers that I almost won the overall title – I will.”

Lindsey Vonn reacted to the looming loss of the small ball. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

The speed specialist suffered a complex shin injury in her crash during the downhill race in Cortina. She had already torn her cruciate ligament shortly before the Olympic Games, but had still competed.

There was a reason for her tears.

What no one can take away from her are the memories. "Not winning the title doesn't make this season any less extraordinary," she wrote. She loved the moments with the fans, standing in the starting gate, or crossing the finish line and seeing the number one light up next to her name. "These memories won't be erased because there's no title. My tears simply mean that it mattered to me. It always has," she wrote.