Lindsey Vonn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of her. She loves spotlights

Says the misogynist. A Buffalo Bill played through a playoff game recently that he tore his ACL during. He was called heroic.

Eh, not really. You are not familiar how this works - every single NFL player is dealing with some sort of ailment at the end of the year. No one is calling him a hero (other than the most ridiculous fan), it's just what happens and the teams love saying this after the season when they lost to provide cover.

Except that I am. He was healthy prior to the injury. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47602037/bills-tyrell-shavers-played-torn-acl-2nd-half-vs-jaguars

DP. It was dumb for him to go out and play on the injury. And I said it at the time.

But when he is called "heroic" it's because he's part of a team. It is viewed as a sacrifice he made for his team, to give them a chance to win the game. Josh Allen apparently played on a broken foot and yes, that was deemed "heroic" because without him the Bills never would have had a chance. Also, teams often have limited options for replacing a player, especially mid-game -- the backup might be terrible. In some cases, the backup might also have an injury.

Downhill skiing is not a team sport. So the dynamics are different. Vonn didn't benefit her teammates by choosing to compete, and it could be seen as selfish because had she bowed out due to her injury, a healthy American skier would have had a chance to ski in the Olympics. It's really hard to see her choose to ski and then have this accident almost immediately -- it feels like a wasted opportunity for a younger skier who, even if they had not medaled at this Olympics, might have gotten important experience that could help with their future career. Whereas Vonn's career is all but over.

That’s not the way skiing works. They couldn’t have just swapped her out for a different American

[Anonymous]

I thought this was interesting. Janik Sinner (world #2 on the ATP -- Italian tennis player) did an interview with Vogue about the Olympic Games since his country is hosting. Sinner also was a very competitive skier in his teens, and actually took up tennis after skiing, so he has a stronger connection to these games than most -- grew up skiing Cortina and trained with some of the Italian skiers.

He was asked about Vonn skiing on her torn ACL and mentioned they are friends, and simply said "the greatest athletes -- they have a lot of courage." He also talks about how he had to decide to scale back skiing 4-5 years ago because of the risk of injury (presumably because of the potential impact on his tennis career, which makes sense) and about the difference between ski racing and tennis:

With your skiing history, is there anything that you miss, or miss being able to do?

I would say the adrenaline. And to be honest, that’s the only thing I really miss. I would say that skiing has this different sort of pressure, though. You need to perform well by not really knowing where you’re standing. In tennis, you have a huge hand, because you always know the score. And you know that, at times, maybe you can play at 80% just to get through. That’s enough for that day. But skiing is not like this at all. You just go, and you have no idea [until it’s done].

I hadn’t thought about that. You’ve got nothing to compare yourself to, and there’s nothing to calibrate against. You just have to go full-throttle.

Yes. So you have this pressure, and [for me] this turned into mostly, also, doubts. So I think maybe I enjoyed the competition part a little bit less. But, for what I miss, I would say for sure the adrenaline. I miss going fast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of her. She loves spotlights

Says the misogynist. A Buffalo Bill played through a playoff game recently that he tore his ACL during. He was called heroic.

Eh, not really. You are not familiar how this works - every single NFL player is dealing with some sort of ailment at the end of the year. No one is calling him a hero (other than the most ridiculous fan), it's just what happens and the teams love saying this after the season when they lost to provide cover.

Except that I am. He was healthy prior to the injury. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47602037/bills-tyrell-shavers-played-torn-acl-2nd-half-vs-jaguars

DP. It was dumb for him to go out and play on the injury. And I said it at the time.

But when he is called "heroic" it's because he's part of a team. It is viewed as a sacrifice he made for his team, to give them a chance to win the game. Josh Allen apparently played on a broken foot and yes, that was deemed "heroic" because without him the Bills never would have had a chance. Also, teams often have limited options for replacing a player, especially mid-game -- the backup might be terrible. In some cases, the backup might also have an injury.

Downhill skiing is not a team sport. So the dynamics are different. Vonn didn't benefit her teammates by choosing to compete, and it could be seen as selfish because had she bowed out due to her injury, a healthy American skier would have had a chance to ski in the Olympics. It's really hard to see her choose to ski and then have this accident almost immediately -- it feels like a wasted opportunity for a younger skier who, even if they had not medaled at this Olympics, might have gotten important experience that could help with their future career. Whereas Vonn's career is all but over.

That’s not the way skiing works. They couldn’t have just swapped her out for a different American

That's true, but it's an individual sport and another, healthy, skier would have gotten a start in her place if she'd dropped. I'm not sure how much it matters whether that skier would have been American or not (I actually don't know and am too lazy to look it up).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of her. She loves spotlights

Says the misogynist. A Buffalo Bill played through a playoff game recently that he tore his ACL during. He was called heroic.

Eh, not really. You are not familiar how this works - every single NFL player is dealing with some sort of ailment at the end of the year. No one is calling him a hero (other than the most ridiculous fan), it's just what happens and the teams love saying this after the season when they lost to provide cover.

Except that I am. He was healthy prior to the injury. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47602037/bills-tyrell-shavers-played-torn-acl-2nd-half-vs-jaguars

DP. It was dumb for him to go out and play on the injury. And I said it at the time.

But when he is called "heroic" it's because he's part of a team. It is viewed as a sacrifice he made for his team, to give them a chance to win the game. Josh Allen apparently played on a broken foot and yes, that was deemed "heroic" because without him the Bills never would have had a chance. Also, teams often have limited options for replacing a player, especially mid-game -- the backup might be terrible. In some cases, the backup might also have an injury.

Downhill skiing is not a team sport. So the dynamics are different. Vonn didn't benefit her teammates by choosing to compete, and it could be seen as selfish because had she bowed out due to her injury, a healthy American skier would have had a chance to ski in the Olympics. It's really hard to see her choose to ski and then have this accident almost immediately -- it feels like a wasted opportunity for a younger skier who, even if they had not medaled at this Olympics, might have gotten important experience that could help with their future career. Whereas Vonn's career is all but over.

That’s not the way skiing works. They couldn’t have just swapped her out for a different American

That's true, but it's an individual sport and another, healthy, skier would have gotten a start in her place if she'd dropped. I'm not sure how much it matters whether that skier would have been American or not (I actually don't know and am too lazy to look it up).

I think actually that there would have just been one less competitor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of her. She loves spotlights

Says the misogynist. A Buffalo Bill played through a playoff game recently that he tore his ACL during. He was called heroic.

Eh, not really. You are not familiar how this works - every single NFL player is dealing with some sort of ailment at the end of the year. No one is calling him a hero (other than the most ridiculous fan), it's just what happens and the teams love saying this after the season when they lost to provide cover.

Except that I am. He was healthy prior to the injury. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47602037/bills-tyrell-shavers-played-torn-acl-2nd-half-vs-jaguars

DP. It was dumb for him to go out and play on the injury. And I said it at the time.

But when he is called "heroic" it's because he's part of a team. It is viewed as a sacrifice he made for his team, to give them a chance to win the game. Josh Allen apparently played on a broken foot and yes, that was deemed "heroic" because without him the Bills never would have had a chance. Also, teams often have limited options for replacing a player, especially mid-game -- the backup might be terrible. In some cases, the backup might also have an injury.

Downhill skiing is not a team sport. So the dynamics are different. Vonn didn't benefit her teammates by choosing to compete, and it could be seen as selfish because had she bowed out due to her injury, a healthy American skier would have had a chance to ski in the Olympics. It's really hard to see her choose to ski and then have this accident almost immediately -- it feels like a wasted opportunity for a younger skier who, even if they had not medaled at this Olympics, might have gotten important experience that could help with their future career. Whereas Vonn's career is all but over.

That’s not the way skiing works. They couldn’t have just swapped her out for a different American

That's true, but it's an individual sport and another, healthy, skier would have gotten a start in her place if she'd dropped. I'm not sure how much it matters whether that skier would have been American or not (I actually don't know and am too lazy to look it up).

I think actually that there would have just been one less competitor.

Nope, both wrong. Had Vonn withdrawn from the Olympics, the US would have been been allowed to sub in another qualified skier, as long as that skier was ranked within the top 30 of the FIS World Cup Start List. The US has a bunch of skiers on that list -- Allison Mollin, Isabella Wright, Keely Cashman, Haley Cutler. I know for a fact that Mollin was pretty devastated to miss out on an Olympic spot and would have jumped at the chance.

We can debate whether it was right for Vonn to attempt to ski given her injury, but there's no question to me that if she'd withdrawn, another young American skier would have had a chance to ski.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Putting the ACL aside, Lindsey clearly went out intending to win, and she tried to do it in the first 10 seconds by taking a tighter, more direct line than anyone else. In hindsight, it was a questionable tactical decision. We had already seen from several racers before her that you could be ahead of Breezy through the first half of the course, but those early splits weren’t translating into podium runs. The course set and conditions suggested that the race would be decided in the final third, where maintaining speed and line through the flatter, more technical sections mattered most.

By attacking so aggressively at the top, she effectively bet on gaining a decisive advantage early rather than building the run progressively. That approach increased risk without offering much strategic upside given how the course was skiing.

Unfortunately, the combination of bold tactics and her trademark willingness to push the limits, qualities that defined her entire career, didn’t align with what this race required.

Breezy herself took a much more conservative approach through the top third of the course and did not look on her way to a gold medal run at that point, but then had an extremely technically skillful remainder.

I thought it was interesting after Breezy's successful run, demonstrating this approach, that Vonn chose instead to try and attack the top of the course aggressively.

Jackie Wiles, the third American in the final, took a similar approach to Breezy and finished 4th, her best Olympic finish ever. Wiles also had the best time on the hill during her Friday training run. I also want to note that Wiles is not some kid -- she's 34 and this is her third Olympics.

This isn't a knock on Vonn's approach, she's obviously one of the best women's downhill skiers of all time and she's going to know better than me what she should do. But given the hill conditions and Breezy's success, I wonder what motivated Vonn to try and attack the top of the hill so aggressively? Was she worried that she wouldn't be able to ski as cleanly later in the course as Breezy and others were, due to her injury, so felt she needed to open up a lead early? Or was it a decision made independently of the current standings or how other skiers had skied, and based entirely on her own instincts based on her training run? Impossible to know, but just interesting to me that of the three American women, Vonn was the only one who chose to go after the top of the course the way she did, and the other two women had career best outcomes.

Good points. Anytime any athlete pushes out of the gate it’s a gamble. It’s a sport of minuscule margins. Small margins between winning and losing. Small margins between crossing the line and crashing out. It’s clear that a lot of people commenting don’t have a true understanding of the mentality of an elite athlete and / or Vonn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of her. She loves spotlights

Says the misogynist. A Buffalo Bill played through a playoff game recently that he tore his ACL during. He was called heroic.

Eh, not really. You are not familiar how this works - every single NFL player is dealing with some sort of ailment at the end of the year. No one is calling him a hero (other than the most ridiculous fan), it's just what happens and the teams love saying this after the season when they lost to provide cover.

Except that I am. He was healthy prior to the injury. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47602037/bills-tyrell-shavers-played-torn-acl-2nd-half-vs-jaguars

DP. It was dumb for him to go out and play on the injury. And I said it at the time.

But when he is called "heroic" it's because he's part of a team. It is viewed as a sacrifice he made for his team, to give them a chance to win the game. Josh Allen apparently played on a broken foot and yes, that was deemed "heroic" because without him the Bills never would have had a chance. Also, teams often have limited options for replacing a player, especially mid-game -- the backup might be terrible. In some cases, the backup might also have an injury.

Downhill skiing is not a team sport. So the dynamics are different. Vonn didn't benefit her teammates by choosing to compete, and it could be seen as selfish because had she bowed out due to her injury, a healthy American skier would have had a chance to ski in the Olympics. It's really hard to see her choose to ski and then have this accident almost immediately -- it feels like a wasted opportunity for a younger skier who, even if they had not medaled at this Olympics, might have gotten important experience that could help with their future career. Whereas Vonn's career is all but over.

That’s not the way skiing works. They couldn’t have just swapped her out for a different American

That's true, but it's an individual sport and another, healthy, skier would have gotten a start in her place if she'd dropped. I'm not sure how much it matters whether that skier would have been American or not (I actually don't know and am too lazy to look it up).

I think actually that there would have just been one less competitor.

Nope, both wrong. Had Vonn withdrawn from the Olympics, the US would have been been allowed to sub in another qualified skier, as long as that skier was ranked within the top 30 of the FIS World Cup Start List. The US has a bunch of skiers on that list -- Allison Mollin, Isabella Wright, Keely Cashman, Haley Cutler. I know for a fact that Mollin was pretty devastated to miss out on an Olympic spot and would have jumped at the chance.

We can debate whether it was right for Vonn to attempt to ski given her injury, but there's no question to me that if she'd withdrawn, another young American skier would have had a chance to ski.

Mollin had the chance. She…didn’t make the cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope she's okay. I haven't seen an update on her condition after this latest crash.

Swiss TV reported lower leg fracture

I hope her spine, neck and head are okay. A leg will heal.

I've had multiple orthopedic spine surgeries from an accident not even remotely as bad as her fall. Greed and hubris are a bad combination.

She has the drive of an Olympic champion. Greed and hubris were part of what led her to set the record for the most female World Cup downhill titles (8) and super-G titles (5). Lindsey is Lindsey. You are you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of her. She loves spotlights

Says the misogynist. A Buffalo Bill played through a playoff game recently that he tore his ACL during. He was called heroic.

Eh, not really. You are not familiar how this works - every single NFL player is dealing with some sort of ailment at the end of the year. No one is calling him a hero (other than the most ridiculous fan), it's just what happens and the teams love saying this after the season when they lost to provide cover.

Except that I am. He was healthy prior to the injury. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47602037/bills-tyrell-shavers-played-torn-acl-2nd-half-vs-jaguars

DP. It was dumb for him to go out and play on the injury. And I said it at the time.

But when he is called "heroic" it's because he's part of a team. It is viewed as a sacrifice he made for his team, to give them a chance to win the game. Josh Allen apparently played on a broken foot and yes, that was deemed "heroic" because without him the Bills never would have had a chance. Also, teams often have limited options for replacing a player, especially mid-game -- the backup might be terrible. In some cases, the backup might also have an injury.

Downhill skiing is not a team sport. So the dynamics are different. Vonn didn't benefit her teammates by choosing to compete, and it could be seen as selfish because had she bowed out due to her injury, a healthy American skier would have had a chance to ski in the Olympics. It's really hard to see her choose to ski and then have this accident almost immediately -- it feels like a wasted opportunity for a younger skier who, even if they had not medaled at this Olympics, might have gotten important experience that could help with their future career. Whereas Vonn's career is all but over.

That’s not the way skiing works. They couldn’t have just swapped her out for a different American

That's true, but it's an individual sport and another, healthy, skier would have gotten a start in her place if she'd dropped. I'm not sure how much it matters whether that skier would have been American or not (I actually don't know and am too lazy to look it up).

I think actually that there would have just been one less competitor.

Nope, both wrong. Had Vonn withdrawn from the Olympics, the US would have been been allowed to sub in another qualified skier, as long as that skier was ranked within the top 30 of the FIS World Cup Start List. The US has a bunch of skiers on that list -- Allison Mollin, Isabella Wright, Keely Cashman, Haley Cutler. I know for a fact that Mollin was pretty devastated to miss out on an Olympic spot and would have jumped at the chance.

We can debate whether it was right for Vonn to attempt to ski given her injury, but there's no question to me that if she'd withdrawn, another young American skier would have had a chance to ski.

Mollin had the chance. She…didn’t make the cut.

Right, Vonn is obviously the better skier. Unless... she tears her ACL nine days before the event and her participation becomes a big gamble. She earned the right to take that gamble if she so chooses, but that's not going to stop people from second guessing whether it was the right choice, especially when the result was that she was airlifted off the course.

Would Mollin have medaled in this event? No. She's not fast enough. Yet. But it would have been terrific experience for a very promising and up and coming skier. This was Vonn's fifth Olympic Games, after coming out of retirement to do it, and in retrospect I think it would have been better for Vonn and for US skiing if she'd withdrawn after her ACL tear. The OP is right that this was a big opportunity for a young skier that Vonn took away for her swan song. Had Vonn been healthy, I don't think anyone would have argued with that. She wasn't. I think she should have withdrawn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of her. She loves spotlights

Says the misogynist. A Buffalo Bill played through a playoff game recently that he tore his ACL during. He was called heroic.

Eh, not really. You are not familiar how this works - every single NFL player is dealing with some sort of ailment at the end of the year. No one is calling him a hero (other than the most ridiculous fan), it's just what happens and the teams love saying this after the season when they lost to provide cover.

Except that I am. He was healthy prior to the injury. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47602037/bills-tyrell-shavers-played-torn-acl-2nd-half-vs-jaguars

DP. It was dumb for him to go out and play on the injury. And I said it at the time.

But when he is called "heroic" it's because he's part of a team. It is viewed as a sacrifice he made for his team, to give them a chance to win the game. Josh Allen apparently played on a broken foot and yes, that was deemed "heroic" because without him the Bills never would have had a chance. Also, teams often have limited options for replacing a player, especially mid-game -- the backup might be terrible. In some cases, the backup might also have an injury.

Downhill skiing is not a team sport. So the dynamics are different. Vonn didn't benefit her teammates by choosing to compete, and it could be seen as selfish because had she bowed out due to her injury, a healthy American skier would have had a chance to ski in the Olympics. It's really hard to see her choose to ski and then have this accident almost immediately -- it feels like a wasted opportunity for a younger skier who, even if they had not medaled at this Olympics, might have gotten important experience that could help with their future career. Whereas Vonn's career is all but over.

That’s not the way skiing works. They couldn’t have just swapped her out for a different American

That's true, but it's an individual sport and another, healthy, skier would have gotten a start in her place if she'd dropped. I'm not sure how much it matters whether that skier would have been American or not (I actually don't know and am too lazy to look it up).

I think actually that there would have just been one less competitor.

Nope, both wrong. Had Vonn withdrawn from the Olympics, the US would have been been allowed to sub in another qualified skier, as long as that skier was ranked within the top 30 of the FIS World Cup Start List. The US has a bunch of skiers on that list -- Allison Mollin, Isabella Wright, Keely Cashman, Haley Cutler. I know for a fact that Mollin was pretty devastated to miss out on an Olympic spot and would have jumped at the chance.

We can debate whether it was right for Vonn to attempt to ski given her injury, but there's no question to me that if she'd withdrawn, another young American skier would have had a chance to ski.

Mollin had the chance. She…didn’t make the cut.

Right, Vonn is obviously the better skier. Unless... she tears her ACL nine days before the event and her participation becomes a big gamble. She earned the right to take that gamble if she so chooses, but that's not going to stop people from second guessing whether it was the right choice, especially when the result was that she was airlifted off the course.

Would Mollin have medaled in this event? No. She's not fast enough. Yet. But it would have been terrific experience for a very promising and up and coming skier. This was Vonn's fifth Olympic Games, after coming out of retirement to do it, and in retrospect I think it would have been better for Vonn and for US skiing if she'd withdrawn after her ACL tear. The OP is right that this was a big opportunity for a young skier that Vonn took away for her swan song. Had Vonn been healthy, I don't think anyone would have argued with that. She wasn't. I think she should have withdrawn.

Vonn had the third fastest training run on her ACL tear. She clearly earned the right to try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of her. She loves spotlights

Says the misogynist. A Buffalo Bill played through a playoff game recently that he tore his ACL during. He was called heroic.

Eh, not really. You are not familiar how this works - every single NFL player is dealing with some sort of ailment at the end of the year. No one is calling him a hero (other than the most ridiculous fan), it's just what happens and the teams love saying this after the season when they lost to provide cover.

Except that I am. He was healthy prior to the injury. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47602037/bills-tyrell-shavers-played-torn-acl-2nd-half-vs-jaguars

DP. It was dumb for him to go out and play on the injury. And I said it at the time.

But when he is called "heroic" it's because he's part of a team. It is viewed as a sacrifice he made for his team, to give them a chance to win the game. Josh Allen apparently played on a broken foot and yes, that was deemed "heroic" because without him the Bills never would have had a chance. Also, teams often have limited options for replacing a player, especially mid-game -- the backup might be terrible. In some cases, the backup might also have an injury.

Downhill skiing is not a team sport. So the dynamics are different. Vonn didn't benefit her teammates by choosing to compete, and it could be seen as selfish because had she bowed out due to her injury, a healthy American skier would have had a chance to ski in the Olympics. It's really hard to see her choose to ski and then have this accident almost immediately -- it feels like a wasted opportunity for a younger skier who, even if they had not medaled at this Olympics, might have gotten important experience that could help with their future career. Whereas Vonn's career is all but over.

That’s not the way skiing works. They couldn’t have just swapped her out for a different American

That's true, but it's an individual sport and another, healthy, skier would have gotten a start in her place if she'd dropped. I'm not sure how much it matters whether that skier would have been American or not (I actually don't know and am too lazy to look it up).

I think actually that there would have just been one less competitor.

Nope, both wrong. Had Vonn withdrawn from the Olympics, the US would have been been allowed to sub in another qualified skier, as long as that skier was ranked within the top 30 of the FIS World Cup Start List. The US has a bunch of skiers on that list -- Allison Mollin, Isabella Wright, Keely Cashman, Haley Cutler. I know for a fact that Mollin was pretty devastated to miss out on an Olympic spot and would have jumped at the chance.

We can debate whether it was right for Vonn to attempt to ski given her injury, but there's no question to me that if she'd withdrawn, another young American skier would have had a chance to ski.

Mollin had the chance. She…didn’t make the cut.

Right, Vonn is obviously the better skier. Unless... she tears her ACL nine days before the event and her participation becomes a big gamble. She earned the right to take that gamble if she so chooses, but that's not going to stop people from second guessing whether it was the right choice, especially when the result was that she was airlifted off the course.

Would Mollin have medaled in this event? No. She's not fast enough. Yet. But it would have been terrific experience for a very promising and up and coming skier. This was Vonn's fifth Olympic Games, after coming out of retirement to do it, and in retrospect I think it would have been better for Vonn and for US skiing if she'd withdrawn after her ACL tear. The OP is right that this was a big opportunity for a young skier that Vonn took away for her swan song. Had Vonn been healthy, I don't think anyone would have argued with that. She wasn't. I think she should have withdrawn.

No one “took anything away” from anyone. Want a spot on the Olympic team? Earn. It.

Vonn won her spot, and despite a significant injury, she chose to give it her all and take the opportunity. The opportunity SHE EARNED. It is not Vonn’s job to give another athlete a chance to develop experience, blah blah blah. That’s Mollin’s job, and Mollin’s coach’s job, etc.

Stop with the “took away for her swan song.” Vonn EARNED her spot and she chose to use the opportunity. It didn’t go her way. Unfortunately. But the only person she hurt and disappointed was herself. Want a spot on the Olympic team? EARN IT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of her. She loves spotlights

Says the misogynist. A Buffalo Bill played through a playoff game recently that he tore his ACL during. He was called heroic.

Eh, not really. You are not familiar how this works - every single NFL player is dealing with some sort of ailment at the end of the year. No one is calling him a hero (other than the most ridiculous fan), it's just what happens and the teams love saying this after the season when they lost to provide cover.

Except that I am. He was healthy prior to the injury. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47602037/bills-tyrell-shavers-played-torn-acl-2nd-half-vs-jaguars

DP. It was dumb for him to go out and play on the injury. And I said it at the time.

But when he is called "heroic" it's because he's part of a team. It is viewed as a sacrifice he made for his team, to give them a chance to win the game. Josh Allen apparently played on a broken foot and yes, that was deemed "heroic" because without him the Bills never would have had a chance. Also, teams often have limited options for replacing a player, especially mid-game -- the backup might be terrible. In some cases, the backup might also have an injury.

Downhill skiing is not a team sport. So the dynamics are different. Vonn didn't benefit her teammates by choosing to compete, and it could be seen as selfish because had she bowed out due to her injury, a healthy American skier would have had a chance to ski in the Olympics. It's really hard to see her choose to ski and then have this accident almost immediately -- it feels like a wasted opportunity for a younger skier who, even if they had not medaled at this Olympics, might have gotten important experience that could help with their future career. Whereas Vonn's career is all but over.

That’s not the way skiing works. They couldn’t have just swapped her out for a different American

That's true, but it's an individual sport and another, healthy, skier would have gotten a start in her place if she'd dropped. I'm not sure how much it matters whether that skier would have been American or not (I actually don't know and am too lazy to look it up).

I think actually that there would have just been one less competitor.

Nope, both wrong. Had Vonn withdrawn from the Olympics, the US would have been been allowed to sub in another qualified skier, as long as that skier was ranked within the top 30 of the FIS World Cup Start List. The US has a bunch of skiers on that list -- Allison Mollin, Isabella Wright, Keely Cashman, Haley Cutler. I know for a fact that Mollin was pretty devastated to miss out on an Olympic spot and would have jumped at the chance.

We can debate whether it was right for Vonn to attempt to ski given her injury, but there's no question to me that if she'd withdrawn, another young American skier would have had a chance to ski.

Mollin had the chance. She…didn’t make the cut.

Right, Vonn is obviously the better skier. Unless... she tears her ACL nine days before the event and her participation becomes a big gamble. She earned the right to take that gamble if she so chooses, but that's not going to stop people from second guessing whether it was the right choice, especially when the result was that she was airlifted off the course.

Would Mollin have medaled in this event? No. She's not fast enough. Yet. But it would have been terrific experience for a very promising and up and coming skier. This was Vonn's fifth Olympic Games, after coming out of retirement to do it, and in retrospect I think it would have been better for Vonn and for US skiing if she'd withdrawn after her ACL tear. The OP is right that this was a big opportunity for a young skier that Vonn took away for her swan song. Had Vonn been healthy, I don't think anyone would have argued with that. She wasn't. I think she should have withdrawn.

No one “took anything away” from anyone. Want a spot on the Olympic team? Earn. It.

Vonn won her spot, and despite a significant injury, she chose to give it her all and take the opportunity. The opportunity SHE EARNED. It is not Vonn’s job to give another athlete a chance to develop experience, blah blah blah. That’s Mollin’s job, and Mollin’s coach’s job, etc.

Stop with the “took away for her swan song.” Vonn EARNED her spot and she chose to use the opportunity. It didn’t go her way. Unfortunately. But the only person she hurt and disappointed was herself. Want a spot on the Olympic team? EARN IT.

Many people, including me, believe that veteran athletes have an obligation to nurture the next generation of athletes. That is obviously not your view, which is fine, but you don't seem to understand that these are OPINIONS (look, I have a caps lock key too!) not facts. My opinion is different from your opinion. That's all. Both of our opinions are valid.

Vonn earned her spot, and then she got hurt. She wasn't the same skier she was prior to destroying her ACL in Crans-Montana.

I think a lot of people defending Vonn's choice here would be singing a different tune if we were talking about a different skier, someone less famous or decorated, making the exact same choice. A lot of this is just "Vonn is one of my favorite athletes, she can do whatever she wants." People wanted to see her race. That's fine, I wanted to see her race too, but not like this. Sorry but I think it was the wrong choice.

[Anonymous]

This is just the latest iteration of "Middle-aged woman, sit down!" and I can't even...

But also: Middle-aged woman, sit down. You're making things worse, hurting the U.S. team, and hurting the skier behind you on the roster. You earned your spot with an untorn ACL. And now you have a torn ACL, so be a mensch and withdraw.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:They’re reporting she is in stable condition which seems intentionally vague. Not good.

She had surgery for a fractured leg and is out of surgery now.

Probably will heal faster than the ACL actually

Yes, though I think they are the same leg so not sure how that will impact recovery, physical therapy, etc.

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Anonymous wrote:I am so sick of her. She loves spotlights

Says the misogynist. A Buffalo Bill played through a playoff game recently that he tore his ACL during. He was called heroic.

Eh, not really. You are not familiar how this works - every single NFL player is dealing with some sort of ailment at the end of the year. No one is calling him a hero (other than the most ridiculous fan), it's just what happens and the teams love saying this after the season when they lost to provide cover.

Except that I am. He was healthy prior to the injury. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47602037/bills-tyrell-shavers-played-torn-acl-2nd-half-vs-jaguars

DP. It was dumb for him to go out and play on the injury. And I said it at the time.

But when he is called "heroic" it's because he's part of a team. It is viewed as a sacrifice he made for his team, to give them a chance to win the game. Josh Allen apparently played on a broken foot and yes, that was deemed "heroic" because without him the Bills never would have had a chance. Also, teams often have limited options for replacing a player, especially mid-game -- the backup might be terrible. In some cases, the backup might also have an injury.

Downhill skiing is not a team sport. So the dynamics are different. Vonn didn't benefit her teammates by choosing to compete, and it could be seen as selfish because had she bowed out due to her injury, a healthy American skier would have had a chance to ski in the Olympics. It's really hard to see her choose to ski and then have this accident almost immediately -- it feels like a wasted opportunity for a younger skier who, even if they had not medaled at this Olympics, might have gotten important experience that could help with their future career. Whereas Vonn's career is all but over.

That’s not the way skiing works. They couldn’t have just swapped her out for a different American

That's true, but it's an individual sport and another, healthy, skier would have gotten a start in her place if she'd dropped. I'm not sure how much it matters whether that skier would have been American or not (I actually don't know and am too lazy to look it up).

I think actually that there would have just been one less competitor.

Nope, both wrong. Had Vonn withdrawn from the Olympics, the US would have been been allowed to sub in another qualified skier, as long as that skier was ranked within the top 30 of the FIS World Cup Start List. The US has a bunch of skiers on that list -- Allison Mollin, Isabella Wright, Keely Cashman, Haley Cutler. I know for a fact that Mollin was pretty devastated to miss out on an Olympic spot and would have jumped at the chance.

We can debate whether it was right for Vonn to attempt to ski given her injury, but there's no question to me that if she'd withdrawn, another young American skier would have had a chance to ski.

Mollin had the chance. She…didn’t make the cut.

Right, Vonn is obviously the better skier. Unless... she tears her ACL nine days before the event and her participation becomes a big gamble. She earned the right to take that gamble if she so chooses, but that's not going to stop people from second guessing whether it was the right choice, especially when the result was that she was airlifted off the course.

Would Mollin have medaled in this event? No. She's not fast enough. Yet. But it would have been terrific experience for a very promising and up and coming skier. This was Vonn's fifth Olympic Games, after coming out of retirement to do it, and in retrospect I think it would have been better for Vonn and for US skiing if she'd withdrawn after her ACL tear. The OP is right that this was a big opportunity for a young skier that Vonn took away for her swan song. Had Vonn been healthy, I don't think anyone would have argued with that. She wasn't. I think she should have withdrawn.

No one “took anything away” from anyone. Want a spot on the Olympic team? Earn. It.

Vonn won her spot, and despite a significant injury, she chose to give it her all and take the opportunity. The opportunity SHE EARNED. It is not Vonn’s job to give another athlete a chance to develop experience, blah blah blah. That’s Mollin’s job, and Mollin’s coach’s job, etc.

Stop with the “took away for her swan song.” Vonn EARNED her spot and she chose to use the opportunity. It didn’t go her way. Unfortunately. But the only person she hurt and disappointed was herself. Want a spot on the Olympic team? EARN IT.

Many people, including me, believe that veteran athletes have an obligation to nurture the next generation of athletes. That is obviously not your view, which is fine, but you don't seem to understand that these are OPINIONS (look, I have a caps lock key too!) not facts. My opinion is different from your opinion. That's all. Both of our opinions are valid.

Vonn earned her spot, and then she got hurt. She wasn't the same skier she was prior to destroying her ACL in Crans-Montana.

I think a lot of people defending Vonn's choice here would be singing a different tune if we were talking about a different skier, someone less famous or decorated, making the exact same choice. A lot of this is just "Vonn is one of my favorite athletes, she can do whatever she wants." People wanted to see her race. That's fine, I wanted to see her race too, but not like this. Sorry but I think it was the wrong choice.

And I think you would be singing a different tune if chance had gone the other way, and she had a good run (she had good training runs). We get it: Vonn is bad. Here’s all the injured Winter Olympians who are good:

Petra Majdic (Cross-Country Skiing, 2010): Fell into a gully during warmups, suffering five broken ribs and a punctured lung. She competed through intense pain, won a bronze medal, and was immediately hospitalized.
Sofia Goggia (Alpine Skiing, 2022): Won downhill silver less than a month after sustaining a partially torn ACL, minor fracture, and tendon damage.
Ollie Martin (Snowboarding, 2026): Finished fourth in the men's big air final while competing with a broken arm sustained in training.
Carlo Janka (Alpine Skiing, 2018): Competed in the Winter Olympics only two months after tearing his ACL.
Philippe Marquis (Mogul Skiing, 2018): Competed at the Pyeongchang Olympics just one month after an ACL tear.

Greg Louganis had a concussion but yay because he got gold, he’s a hero. See also Kerri Strug.

“Pros Play Hurt” and if it works out, you’re a hero. If it doesn’t, and you take the spot YOU EARNED, you’re a thief…if you fail.