Olympian Lindsey Vonn Talks Drive, Passion That Led to Her Success

The retired athlete opened up to BBC about her goal of making it to the Olympics, which she started dreaming about at the age of 9.

Lindsey Vonn / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports

Three-time Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn may be retired from her sport of alpine ski racing, but she continues to inspire. The 39-year-old athlete and author recently sat down for an interview with BBC, where she discussed everything from her incredible career to mental health.

In a brief clip of the interview that Vonn shared to Instagram on July 3, she revealed that her Olympic dreams began at the young age of 9.

“I just had this goal of making it to the Olympics and I never lost sight of that,” Vonn stated. “I believed in everything that I was doing and I think that’s rare for a 9-year-old.”

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While her father always supported her aspirations, Vonn noted that she really proved her dedication to him while training at Mount Hood in Oregon during a downpour at the age of 10. Seven years later, Vonn made her Olympic debut at the 2002 winter games in Salt Lake City. Throughout her career, she competed in four Olympic games and earned a total of three medals, including one gold and two bronze.

“I’ve always had the drive, I’ve always had the passion,” Vonn continued. “I always believed in myself when no one else did. I don’t know where that comes from, but it’s just something that’s always been inside me.”

Several of Vonn’s fans and followers chimed in to the comments of the Instagram post to applaud her dedication to making her dreams come true.

“Cue the sound of girls everywhere cheering! 📣 Our goals are not too big!! 🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️😍,” one user wrote.

“Had a dream, chased it and made it a reality 🥇 ⛷️ 🐐,” someone else stated.