Lindsey Vonn facts for kids

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Lindsey Vonn

Alpine skier
April 2024
Disciplines	Downhill, Super-G, Giant slalom, Combined (also Slalom before 2012)
Club	Vail SSC
Born	Lindsey Caroline Kildow (1984-10-18) October 18, 1984 (age 40) St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
World Cup debut	November 18, 2000 (age 16)
Retired	February 10, 2019 — November 14, 2024
Olympics
Teams	4 – (2002, 2006, 2010, 2018)
Medals	3 (1 gold)
World Championships
Teams	9 – (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2025)
Medals	8 (2 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	20 – (2001–2019, 2025)
Wins	82 – (43 DH, 28 SG, 4 GS, 2 SL, 5 SC)
Podiums	138 – (66 DH, 47 SG, 6 GS, 5 SL, 13 SC, 1 PSL)
Overall titles	4 – (2008–10, 2012)
Discipline titles	16 – (8 DH, 5 SG, 3 SC)
Medal record Women's alpine skiing Representing the  United States International alpine ski competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 2 World Championships 2 3 3 World Junior Championships 0 2 1 World Cup race podiums Event 1st 2nd 3rd Downhill 43 16 7 Super-G 28 12 7 Giant 4 1 1 Slalom 2 2 1 Combined 5 5 3 Parallel 0 0 1 Olympic Games Gold 2010 Vancouver Downhill Bronze 2010 Vancouver Super-G Bronze 2018 Pyeongchang Downhill World Championships Gold 2009 Val-d'Isère Downhill Gold 2009 Val-d'Isère Super-G Silver 2007 Åre Downhill Silver 2007 Åre Super-G Silver 2011 Garmisch Downhill Bronze 2015 Beaver Creek Super-G Bronze 2017 St. Moritz Downhill Bronze 2019 Åre Downhill World Junior Championships Silver 2003 Puy St. Vincent Downhill Silver 2004 Maribor Downhill Bronze 2004 Maribor Giant slalom

Lindsey Caroline Vonn (born October 18, 1984) is a famous American alpine ski racer. She competed in the World Cup. Lindsey won four World Cup overall championships. This is the third-highest number for female skiers. She won three titles in a row from 2008 to 2010, and another in 2012.

Vonn won the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics. This was the first time an American woman won Olympic gold in this event. She also holds a record eight World Cup season titles in downhill. She has five titles in super-G and three in combined. In 2016, she earned her 20th World Cup crystal globe. This is a record for both men and women skiers.

Lindsey Vonn is one of only six women to win World Cup races in all five alpine skiing events. These events are downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and super combined. She won 82 World Cup races in her career. This was a women's record until January 2023. With her Olympic medals, World Championship golds, and World Cup titles, Vonn is one of the most successful American ski racers ever. Many consider her one of the greatest skiers of all time.

In 2011, Vonn received the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award. She was also named the United States Olympic Committee's sportswoman of the year. Injuries caused her to miss parts of several seasons. She announced her retirement in 2019 due to these injuries. However, Vonn announced her return to competitive skiing in November 2024.

Lindsey Vonn's Early Life and Training

Lindsey Caroline Kildow was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her parents are Linda Anne and Alan Lee Kildow. She grew up in Burnsville, Minnesota, near the Twin Cities. Lindsey started skiing at age two. She joined Erich Sailer's ski program at Burnsville's Buck Hill.

When Lindsey was 9, she met Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street. Picabo became her hero and mentor. Street was amazed by Lindsey's skiing skills. She said Lindsey loved skiing fast down the mountain. Lindsey trained in Colorado for several years. Her family then moved to Vail, Colorado in the late 1990s.

Lindsey attended University of Missouri High School, an online program. She speaks German very well. She also took part in a business program at Harvard Business School.

Lindsey Vonn's Skiing Career Highlights

Starting Her Ski Journey

Lindsey Kildow learned to ski from her grandfather, Don Kildow. She started skiing in Burnsville, Minnesota, at Buck Hill. Her family also took long trips from Minnesota to Vail, Colorado for ski vacations. Lindsey remembers her mom driving and singing during these 16-hour trips.

In the late 1990s, Lindsey's family moved to Colorado. This allowed her to ski full-time at Ski Club Vail. In 1999, Lindsey and Will McDonald were the first Americans to win slalom events at a junior competition in Italy. She joined the U.S. Ski Team. Lindsey made her World Cup debut at age 16 on November 18, 2000, in Park City, Utah.

First Olympic Games and World Cup Success

Lindsey Kildow competed in her first 2002 Winter Olympics at age 17. She raced in slalom and combined events in Salt Lake City. Her best result was sixth place in combined. In 2003, she won a silver medal in downhill at the Junior World Championship in France.

Lindsey changed her training after a bike ride with fellow skier Julia Mancuso. She realized she needed to train harder to succeed. In March 2004, she won a silver medal in downhill at the U.S. Alpine Championships. She also got her first World Cup podium finish in January 2004. Her first World Cup victory was in December 2004 in Lake Louise, Canada.

In 2005, she competed in her first FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Italy. She finished fourth in both downhill and combined.

Olympic Spirit and World Championship Medals

At the 2006 Winter Olympics, Lindsey Kildow crashed during a training run. She bruised her hip but still competed two days later. She finished eighth in the downhill race. Her brave effort earned her the U.S. Olympic Spirit Award.

In 2007, Kildow won her first major medals. She earned silver in both downhill and super-G at the World Championships in Sweden. An injury ended her season early, but she still finished third in downhill and super-G World Cup standings.

Winning the Overall World Cup Titles

In 2008, Lindsey Vonn won her first overall World Cup title. She was the second American woman to do so. She also won the World Cup season title in downhill. Vonn set a new American record with ten World Cup downhill victories.

In 2009, Vonn won the overall World Cup title again. She also won the downhill and super-G season championships. She broke the American record for most World Cup victories. At the 2009 World Championships in France, Vonn won her first world championship gold in super-G. She also won gold in downhill. In 2009, Vonn changed her ski equipment sponsor to Head skis. She received the Skieur d'Or Award for her great performances.

In December 2009, Vonn bruised her arm in a crash. Despite the injury, she kept racing. She won three straight races in Austria in January 2010. These wins made her second among American skiers for World Cup wins. She clinched her second straight super-G title before the 2010 Winter Olympics. Vonn won the overall World Cup title for the third time in a row. She also won titles in downhill, super-G, and combined. She became the American with the most World Cup victories. The Associated Press named her Female Athlete of the Year in 2010.

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

From left to right: Tina Maze of Slovenia (silver), Andrea Fischbacher of Austria (gold), and Vonn of the U.S. (bronze) with the medals they earned in the super-G

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Vonn planned to compete in all five women's alpine events. She had a severely bruised shin, which caused her pain. However, warm weather delayed some events, giving her time to heal.

On February 17, Vonn won the gold medal in downhill. She beat Julia Mancuso and became the first American woman to win Olympic downhill gold. In the super combined event, she crashed during the slalom part. She finished third in the super-G event, earning a bronze medal. In the giant slalom, Vonn crashed and broke a finger. She was disqualified. She also crashed in the slalom event.

Close Race for the 2011 World Cup

After three overall World Cup wins, Vonn faced tough competition from Maria Höfl-Riesch in 2011. Riesch had a strong start to the season. Vonn was on the podium in every speed race but struggled in slalom. Riesch was far ahead in the overall ranking by January.

At the 2011 World Championships, Vonn had a concussion. She still competed and won a silver medal in downhill. Back in the World Cup, Vonn started to catch up. She took the overall lead for the first time that season. However, bad weather canceled the final super-G and giant slalom races. Riesch won the 2011 overall title by just 3 points.

Joining the All-Event Winners Club in 2012

Vonn won her fourth Overall World Cup Title in 2012. The season started in October in Austria. Vonn won her first giant slalom race there. This made her the sixth woman to win at least one race in all five alpine skiing events.

In December 2011, she won all three races in Lake Louise, Canada. This was her second 'hat trick' (winning three races in a row). She also set a record for most career wins at a single resort. On December 7, Vonn got her first World Cup victory on U.S. snow. This was the first home win by an American woman in 17 years. By January 2012, she became the third most successful female World Cup racer in terms of victories. On February 4, Vonn achieved her 50th World Cup victory. She also clinched her fifth straight downhill season title.

Vonn was disappointed to miss the record for 2,000 points in a season by just 20 points. She lost her pole at the start of her final race, which affected her score.

Injuries and Comebacks

Vonn had a slow start in the 2013 season due to illness. She returned strong, sweeping all three races in Lake Louise again. This was her third 'hat trick' and increased her record for wins at one resort to 14. These wins moved her to second place all-time among women for career victories.

In December 2012, Vonn took a break to recover from her illness. She returned and won downhill and giant slalom races in January 2013.

World Championships Injury

At the 2013 World Championships in Austria, Vonn crashed in the super-G. She tore ligaments in her right knee and fractured her shin. She said she would be ready for the 2014 Winter Olympics despite the injury.

Winning a Title While Injured

Before her crash, Vonn was leading in the World Cup downhill standings. Even though she couldn't compete, bad weather canceled the final downhill race. This meant she won her sixth downhill season title without racing since mid-January.

Missing the 2014 Olympics

Vonn planned to return to competition in late 2013. However, she re-injured her right knee in November 2013. She returned to racing in December, but her knee was still unstable.

On January 7, 2014, Vonn announced she would not compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics. She needed surgery to fix her knee. She said she wanted to be ready for the World Championships in Vail the next year.

2015: A Strong Comeback

Vonn made a great comeback on December 6, 2014. She won the World Cup downhill race at Lake Louise, Canada. This was only her second race back from injury. In January 2015, she tied and then passed Annemarie Moser-Pröll for the most World Cup wins ever.

At the 2015 World Championships in Colorado, Vonn won a bronze medal in super-G. She also placed fifth in downhill.

On March 18, 2015, Vonn won the last World Cup downhill race. This gave her the World Cup downhill title for the seventh time. She tied Moser-Pröll's record of seven titles in one event. The next day, Vonn won her eighth race of the season in super-G. This was her fifth super-G season title, tying another record. She also reached 113 World Cup podiums, tying Moser-Pröll's women's record.

2016: Breaking More Records

Vonn in February 2016

Vonn started the 2016 season by winning all three women's races in Lake Louise, Canada. This was her third career 'hat trick'. She reached 70 career World Cup wins. She also passed Hermann Maier for the most super-G wins for any skier. In January, Vonn tied Moser-Pröll's record of 36 all-time downhill victories. Two weeks later, she broke that record with her 37th downhill victory.

2017: Another Injury and Return

On November 11, 2016, Vonn announced she had fractured her right arm in a training crash. She had surgery to fix it. Vonn returned to the World Cup on January 15, 2017. In her second race back, she won the downhill event in Germany. This was her 77th career win.

2018: Olympic Bronze and Dedication

Vonn during the podium ceremony of the 2018 Olympic downhill, where she won the bronze medal

At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Vonn tied for sixth in women's super-G. She won the bronze medal in women's downhill. Vonn dedicated her Olympic races to her grandfather, who had passed away. She competed with his initials on her helmet. After the downhill race, she said she was proud of her medal and knew her grandfather would be too. She later scattered some of his ashes near the men's downhill course.

2019: Retirement and Final Medals

In October 2018, Vonn announced she would retire at the end of the season. She had hoped to break Ingemar Stenmark's record for World Cup wins. However, her body could no longer handle the demands of racing. She injured her knee again in November 2018, forcing her to miss races.

Vonn finally made her season debut in January 2019. On February 1, she announced she would retire after the 2019 World Championships in Sweden. On February 10, she won a bronze medal in women's downhill. This was her final race. She became the oldest woman to win a medal at a world championship (at age 34). She was also the first female racer to win medals at six different world championships.

2023: Skiing the Streif

In January 2023, Vonn became the first woman to ski the famous Streif course. She did it on her own, not in a competition.

2024-2025: Second Comeback to Skiing

On November 14, 2024, Vonn announced she was returning to competitive skiing. She had successful knee replacement surgery seven months earlier, which stopped her pain. She made her return on December 7, 2024, in a downhill race in Colorado. She finished 24th.

On December 21, 2024, Vonn made her World Cup comeback in Switzerland, finishing 14th in the Super-G. In her first World Cup downhill race after returning, she finished sixth on January 11, 2025. The next day, she improved to fourth place in the Super-G. While training in Italy, she crashed but only had minor injuries. She plans to keep competing until the Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo. She hopes to end her career on one of her favorite slopes.

Vonn achieved her first World Cup podium in seven years on March 23, 2025. She came second in the super-G at the season finals in Idaho.

Other Appearances

Vonn appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition in 2010, 2016, and 2019. In 2018, she competed in a rap battle on the show Drop the Mic.

In 2019, HBO released a documentary about Vonn called Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season. It covered her last World Championship season and her journey to becoming an Olympic medalist.

Vonn hosted a TV show called The Pack in 2020. It was a reality competition about dogs. Her own dog, Lucy, was on the show with her.

Lindsey Vonn's Personal Life

Vonn in April 2024

Lindsey Kildow married fellow Olympian Thomas Vonn on September 29, 2007. They divorced on January 9, 2013.

Lindsey Vonn dated golfer Tiger Woods from March 2013 to May 2015. In late 2016, she dated NFL assistant coach Kenan Smith. They broke up in November 2017. In June 2018, she started dating P. K. Subban, an NHL hockey player. They announced their engagement in August 2019. In December 2019, Vonn announced she had proposed to Subban. They bought a house together in Beverly Hills in May 2020. In December 2020, they announced their breakup but remained friends. In 2021, Vonn began a relationship with Diego Osorio, but they split in February 2025.

In 2005, Vonn won a pregnant cow as a prize at a race in France. She named the cow "Olympe" and had a farmer in Austria take care of it. In 2009, she won a goat, which she also gave to a farmer. In 2014, she won a calf and kept it too. By 2014, she owned a small group of cows on the farm.

Vonn's mother, Linda Krohn, passed away in August 2022. She had been battling ALS.

World Cup Results

Vonn in March 2010 with eight crystal globes: three large ones for FIS World Cup overall titles and five smaller ones for various discipline titles

Season Titles

Lindsey Vonn has won 20 World Cup season titles. These include 4 Overall titles, 8 Downhill titles, 5 Super-G titles, and 3 Combined titles.

Season Standings

This table shows Lindsey Vonn's rankings in different World Cup disciplines each season.

Season
	Age	Overall	Slalom	Giant slalom	Super-G	Downhill	Combined
2002	17	93	—	—	35	41	—
2003	18	118	—	—	—	47	—
2004	19	30	38	45	26	14	—
2005	20	6	28	35		5	5
2006	21	5	9	49	4
2007	22	6	37	—			7
2008	23		32	13	6
2009	24			8
2010	25		14	28
2011	26		19	12
2012	27		20
2013	28	8	—	20	4		—
2014	29	68	—	—	25	36	—
2015	30		—	29			—
2016	31		43	18			5
2017	32	19	—	—	12	4	—
2018	33	10	—	—	9		10
2019	34	83	—	—	—	32	—
2025	40	29	—	—	13	19	N/A

Standings through 27 March 2025

Race Victories

Lindsey Vonn has won 82 World Cup races. This includes 43 downhill wins, 28 super-G wins, 4 giant slalom wins, 2 slalom wins, and 5 combined wins. She has been on the podium 138 times.

Season
	Date	Location	Discipline
2005	December 3, 2004	Lake Louise, Canada	Downhill
2006 3 victories (2 DH, 1 SG)	December 3, 2005		Downhill
	December 17, 2005	Val-d'Isère, France	Downhill
	March 3, 2006	Hafjell, Norway	Super-G
2007 3 victories (2 DH, 1 SG)	December 2, 2006	Lake Louise, Canada	Downhill
	December 20, 2006	Val-d'Isère, France	Downhill
	January 28, 2007	San Sicario, Italy	Super-G
2008 6 victories (5 DH, 1 SC)	December 1, 2007	Lake Louise, Canada	Downhill
	December 21, 2007	St. Anton, Austria	Downhill
	December 22, 2007		Super combined
	January 19, 2008	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy	Downhill
	February 9, 2008	Sestriere, Italy	Downhill
	March 8, 2008	Crans-Montana, Switzerland	Downhill
2009 9 victories (2 DH, 4 SG, 2 SL, 1 SC)	November 15, 2008	Levi, Finland	Slalom
	December 5, 2008	Lake Louise, Canada	Downhill
	January 17, 2009	Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria	Super combined
	January 30, 2009	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany	Slalom
	February 1, 2009		Super-G
	February 22, 2009	Tarvisio, Italy	Super-G
	March 1, 2009	Bansko, Bulgaria	Super-G
	March 11, 2009	Åre, Sweden	Downhill
	March 12, 2009		Super-G
2010 11 victories (6 DH, 4 SG, 1 SC)	December 4, 2009	Lake Louise, Canada	Downhill
	December 5, 2009		Downhill
	December 18, 2009	Val-d'Isère, France	Super combined
	January 8, 2010	Haus im Ennstal, Austria	Downhill
	January 9, 2010		Downhill
	January 10, 2010		Super-G
	January 22, 2010	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy	Super-G
	January 23, 2010		Downhill
	January 31, 2010	St. Moritz, Switzerland	Super-G
	March 6, 2010	Crans-Montana, Switzerland	Downhill
	March 12, 2010	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany	Super-G
2011 8 victories (3 DH, 4 SG, 1 SC)	December 5, 2010	Lake Louise, Canada	Super-G
	December 18, 2010	Val-d'Isère, France	Downhill
	December 19, 2010		Super combined
	January 8, 2011	Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria	Downhill
	January 21, 2011	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy	Super-G
	January 23, 2011		Super-G
	February 26, 2011	Åre, Sweden	Downhill
	March 6, 2011	Tarvisio, Italy	Super-G
2012 12 victories (5 DH, 4 SG, 2 GS, 1 SC)	October 22, 2011	Sölden, Austria	Giant slalom
	December 2, 2011	Lake Louise, Canada	Downhill
	December 3, 2011		Downhill
	December 4, 2011		Super-G
	December 7, 2011	Beaver Creek, USA	Super-G
	January 15, 2012	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy	Super-G
	January 27, 2012	St. Moritz, Switzerland	Super combined
	January 28, 2012		Downhill
	February 4, 2012	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany	Downhill
	February 26, 2012	Bansko, Bulgaria	Super-G
	March 9, 2012	Åre, Sweden	Giant slalom
	March 14, 2012	Schladming, Austria	Downhill
2013 6 victories (3 DH, 2 SG, 1 GS)	November 30, 2012	Lake Louise, Canada	Downhill
	December 1, 2012		Downhill
	December 2, 2012		Super-G
	December 8, 2012	St. Moritz, Switzerland	Super-G
	January 19, 2013	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy	Downhill
	January 26, 2013	Maribor, Slovenia	Giant slalom
2015 8 victories (4 DH, 4 SG)	December 6, 2014	Lake Louise, Canada	Downhill
	December 20, 2014	Val-d'Isère, France	Downhill
	January 18, 2015	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy	Downhill
	January 19, 2015		Super-G
	January 25, 2015	St. Moritz, Switzerland	Super-G
	March 8, 2015	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany	Super-G
	March 18, 2015	Méribel, France	Downhill
	March 19, 2015		Super-G
2016 9 victories (5 DH, 3 SG, 1 GS)	December 4, 2015	Lake Louise, Canada	Downhill
	December 5, 2015		Downhill
	December 6, 2015		Super-G
	December 12, 2015	Åre, Sweden	Giant slalom
	January 9, 2016	Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria	Downhill
	January 10, 2016		Super-G
	January 23, 2016	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy	Downhill
	January 24, 2016		Super-G
	February 6, 2016	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany	Downhill
2017	January 21, 2017		Downhill
2018 5 victories (4 DH, 1 SG)	December 16, 2017	Val-d'Isère, France	Super-G
	January 20, 2018	Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy	Downhill
	February 3, 2018	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany	Downhill
	February 4, 2018		Downhill
	March 14, 2018	Åre, Sweden	Downhill

World Championship Results

This table shows Lindsey Vonn's results at the World Championships.

Olympic Results

This table shows Lindsey Vonn's results at the Winter Olympic Games.