Lindsey Vonn Suffers Set Back In Training For Sochi, Tiger Woods Supports Her
Lindsey Vonn has suffered a set back as she prepares to compete in the downhill skiing competition at the Sochi Olympics. But her boyfriend, pro golfer Tiger Woods, is there to support her.
Vonn, with Tiger watching from the finish line, could not complete a run after her knee “gave out” while struggling to maintain her balance.
In 2012, Lindsey Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill champion, tore two ligaments, but says she doesn’t believe she did anymore damage this weekend at the World Cup event at Val d’Isere, France.
Speaking after the race, the 29-year-old Olympic champion said:
“I didn’t hurt myself more than I’m already hurt. It was a small compression, and it was fully loaded on the right ski and my knee just completely gave out. I tried to pressure the ski again and it gave out again. I had no chance of making that gate, unfortunately.”
“I’m going to stick to a similar plan that I was on before. I just need to be more careful of how many races I do.”
Four-time downhill World Champion Lindsey Vonn insisted she must not push herself as she prepares for Sochi.
“I’m at risk of doing more damage to my knee and my meniscus, so I’m going to play it safe and race really minimal races. Probably one or two before the Olympics.”
Meanwhile, it was Tiger Woods’ turn to support his girlfriend after Vonn spent a good part of her summer on the golf courses watching him play during the 2013 PGA Tour.
Lindsey Vonn has been at Tiger's tournaments all year. Today, he returned the favor. http://t.co/vGrS5xA20A pic.twitter.com/YTwRJYOcP4
— Golf.com (@si_golf) December 21, 2013
Lindsey Vonn underwent knee surgery in February to repair two torn ligaments on her right knee after a horrific crash that also broke her leg.
The Olympic champion’s comeback has been full of setbacks. In November, she ended up in a hospital in Colorado after a training crash.
But Lindsey Vonn will have the support of her very famous boyfriend all the way. Tiger Woods said he will be taking time out of his busy schedule in 2014 to be there for her.
In the blog post, Looking Forward To Next Year published on his website, Woods wrote:
“I’m going to put my clubs away for a while to spend more time with my kids and support my girlfriend Lindsey Vonn as she tries to prepare for the Sochi Olympics.”
“Having experienced reconstructive surgery on my knee and the ensuing rehab, and the amount of pain associated with it, it’s really hard to explain to anybody unless you’ve been through it. And then coming back on it athletically, to trust that it’s going to be there, that’s a whole different ballgame. I’ve had my share of experiences in that regard — unfortunately — but I think it helps her in a sense because she can bounce ideas off me about what to expect. It is a frustrating process and really difficult to go through.”
Lindsey Vonn told USA Today, before starting her training, that Tiger has had a calming influence while she has been recovering from her devastating injury and hopes he can make it to Sochi in 2014.
“We’re going to see how his schedule goes, but he’s hoping to come,” Lindsey Vonn told People in August. “He’s kind of a fish out of water in the cold weather. It’s going to be really cute!”
