US ski star Lindsey Vonn wants to be successful for her recently deceased grandfather and become Olympic champion for the second time in her fourth Olympics participation:”I very much hope that I am good for him. I miss him very much. I know he’s watching. I want to win for him,”said Vonn on Friday in Pyeongchang.
After this statement, she cried tears at the arrival press conference in front of hundreds of journalists. Her grandfather Don Kildow (88) had died last month. Kildow had also served in the U. S. Army in South Korea in the 1950s,”He will help me and I will win for him,”said Vonn.
Vonn in South Korea refrains from starting in the giant slalom on Monday but “I’m going downhill, super-G and the combination. I decided against the giant slalom because it’s not good with my knee,”said the 2010 downhill Olympic champion.
Vonn had several cruciate ligament tears and therefore missed the games four years ago in Sochi. Asked what has changed since her victory in Canada eight years ago and the last Olympic Games of her career, she said:”I was a healthier athlete in 2010, but now I am a stronger athlete. I want to put an exclamation mark behind my career.”
By the way, Vonn will have a World Cup break after the winter games in South Korea:”After the matches, I’ll go home and miss a few World Cups,”she said. She will be back at the World Cup final in Aare, Sweden.
The American therefore renounces Crans Montana and Ofterschwang. With 81 victories, Vonn is the most successful driver in World Cup history. She will definitely have another season ahead of her and try to beat the 86 victories of record holder Ingemar Stenmark from Sweden.