Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn recently expressed her thoughts on mental toughness ahead of her final shot at Olympic glory. The 41-year-old skier is currently in Switzerland, training for the quadrennial event.
Vonn shared some of her snaps alongside inspirational quotes encouraging athletes to never give up and to strive for their goals consistently. Vonn returned to competition in late 2024 after undergoing knee surgery. She had been compelled to retire in 2019 due to recurring knee injuries.
Lindsey Vonn Gets Real About Mental Toughness Before Winter Olympics
Vonn shared her advice on mental toughness ahead of the Winter Olympics. The 41-year-old American skier wrote in the caption of her Instagram post,
“Some days the mental game is harder than the physical one. That’s just part of being an athlete… and part of being human.”
READ MORE: ‘I’m a Little Bit Crazy’: Lindsey Vonn Gets Real on the Mindset Behind Her 2026 Winter Olympics Push
Vonn had won a World Cup podium finish in March 2025 at Sun Valley, Idaho, making her one of the oldest female skiers to do so. The former Olympic champion further added in the Instagram post as she wrote,
“Every day, these are the kind of mindsets I work on and try and remind myself of. Every day we have thea opportunity to view things either negatively or positively. I try to always look at the bright side…It’s also what we teach kids through the @lindseyvonnfoundation.
Don’t hold failures over yourself. As long as we learn and keep moving forward, we’ll get to where we want to go! 💪🏻”
Vonn had previously credited former world champion racing driver Lewis Hamilton and American football quarterback Tom Brady for inspiring her to return to winter sports.
Vonn’s Performance at the Winter Olympics
Vonn has represented the USA in winter sports since the age of 16. She made her Olympic debut at age 17 at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. While Vonn finished 32nd, she surprised everyone by finishing sixth in the combined event.
Vonn returned to the 2006 edition held at Turin. However, success continued to evade her. The alpine skier finally struck gold at the Vancouver edition in 2010, winning the downhill and a bronze medal in Super G.
Vonn couldn’t participate in the 2014 Sochi edition due to an injury. However, she returned for the PyeongChang edition held in 2018, where she finished in sixth position in the Super G event.
Vonn won a bronze medal in the downhill event and soon announced her retirement in 2019 due to recurring injuries. However, after announcing her return in late 2024, Vonn aims to retire on a high note, with a strong comeback at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
