Lindsey Vonn Returns To The Slopes, Leans On Tiger Woods For Support

Lindsey Vonn has endured a number of setbacks since suffering a devastating knee injury in 2013, but as the competitive skier prepares to return to competition she has a secret weapon in her corner — her boyfriend, Tiger Woods.

Vonn is set to make her return to the slopes after a long absence, the World Cup. Vonn is on the schedule for two downhills and a Super-G in familiar grounds for her, Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies.

For Vonn, the return is a long time coming.

“I had to build everything back up from nothing. That took a lot of time and a lot of work — there is pretty much nothing I didn’t do. But I love working hard, I love being in the gym. I love pushing myself,” Vonn said on her main sponsor Red Bull’s website this week.

Through it all, Lindsey Vonn said she could count on boyfriend Tiger Woods, who has also become something of a training partner.

“Tiger is pretty tough,” she said. “He’s an incredibly hard worker. He has been through a lot of injuries in his career, and he has always fought back. He’s a huge inspiration for me.”

Vonn noted that she and Tiger have endured similar challenges, including tandem rehabs for injuries that forced them out of their respective sports for long stretches.

“Tiger and I both went through rehab with our injuries at a similar time, so we were both in the gym together and pushing each other and motivating each other, both frustrated,’ she said. “I think we both helped each other a lot through that time, and I drew a lot of inspiration from him and I think he does the same with me. We continue to push each other and it’s a really positive relationship in that way.”

Lindsey Vonn now has a chance to prove to herself and Tiger Woods that she belongs on the world’s biggest stage, and she has quite a friendly stage to do so. Vonn has posted 14 of her 59 World Cup victories at Lake Louise, including seven straight World Cup races from 2010 to 2012.

[Photo via Denver Post (AP)]