From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Lindsey Vonn made an impact.
Lindsey Vonn is a highly decorated American World Cup alpine ski racer. She boasts four World Cup overall championships, placing her among the top female skiers alongside Annemarie Moser-Pröll and Mikaela Shiffrin. Vonn secured three consecutive titles from 2008 to 2010 and another in 2012. A highlight of her career includes winning the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, a first for an American woman. She holds a record eight World Cup season titles in downhill, five in super-G, and three consecutive titles in the combined (2010-2012). In 2016, Vonn surpassed Ingemar Stenmark's record by winning her 20th World Cup crystal globe title.
1983: Tamara McKinney
In 1983 Tamara McKinney won the overall World Cup Title
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1999: Cadets Slalom Events
In 1999, Kildow and Will McDonald became the first American athletes to win the "Cadets" slalom events in Italy's Trofeo Topolino di Sci Alpino.
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November 18, 2000: World Cup Debut
On November 18, 2000, at age 16, Kildow made her World Cup debut in Park City, Utah.
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2002: Olympic Debut
In 2002, Kildow made her Olympic debut at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, with her best result being sixth in combined.
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January 2004: First World Cup Podium
In January 2004, Kildow reached the World Cup podium for the first time with a third-place finish in downhill at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
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March 24, 2004: U.S. Alpine Championships Silver Medalist
On March 24, 2004, Kildow was the downhill silver medalist at the U.S. Alpine Championships at Mt. Alyeska Resort, Girdwood, Alaska.
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December 2004: Maiden Victory
In December 2004, Kildow secured her maiden victory at Lake Louise, Alberta.
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2005: World Championships
In 2005, Lindsey Vonn competed in four races at her first World Championships held in Bormio, Italy, pulling in fourth-place finishes in both the downhill and the combined.
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2007: World Championships Medals
In 2007, Kildow earned her first "big race" medals with silver in both downhill and super-G at the World Championships in Åre, Sweden.
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2007: World Championship Silver Medals
In 2007, Lindsey Vonn won silver medals at the World Championships.
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2008: First World Cup Overall Championship
In 2008, Lindsey Vonn secured her first World Cup overall championship, making her the second American woman to achieve this feat.
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2008: Overall World Cup Title
In 2008, Lindsey Vonn won the overall World Cup title and the World Cup season title in the downhill.
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2009: Second World Cup Overall Championship
In 2009, Lindsey Vonn won her second World Cup overall championship.
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2009: World Championship Gold Medals
In 2009, Lindsey Vonn won two World Championship gold medals.
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2010: Third World Cup Overall Championship
In 2010, Lindsey Vonn secured her third consecutive World Cup overall championship.
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2011: Wins in Lake Louise
Between December 2-4, 2011, Lindsey Vonn won all three races in Lake Louise, Alberta.
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2011: World Championship Silver Medals
In 2011, Lindsey Vonn won silver medals at the World Championships.
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2011: Overall Championship
In 2011, Maria Riesch was the overall champion.
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2011: 2011 Season Competition
In 2011, Vonn faced strong competition from Maria Riesch of Germany in the World Cup.
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January 2012: World Cup Victories
In January 2012, Vonn continued with further victories.
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2012: Fourth World Cup Overall Championship
In 2012, Lindsey Vonn won her fourth World Cup overall championship.
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2012: Won Fourth Overall World Cup Title
In 2012, Vonn won her fourth Overall World Cup Title.
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November 20, 2013: Vonn Re-injures Right Knee During Training
On November 20, 2013, Lindsey Vonn re-injured her right knee, straining it and partially tearing her ACL after a crash during training.
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December 21, 2013: Vonn Re-injures Right Knee While Skiing in France
On December 21, 2013, Lindsey Vonn re-injured her right knee while skiing in France, leading to her decision not to compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
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2013: Sweeping Races
In 2013, Vonn sweeping all three races in Lake Louise, Alberta.
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2013: World Cup Season Title
Lindsey Vonn achieved a World Cup season title in 2013.
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January 7, 2014: Vonn Announces She Will Not Compete in 2014 Winter Olympics
On January 7, 2014, Lindsey Vonn announced that she would not compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics due to re-injuring her right knee on December 21, 2013.
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December 6, 2014: Vonn Wins World Cup Downhill Race at Lake Louise
On December 6, 2014, Lindsey Vonn made her comeback to the top of the podium, winning the women's World Cup downhill race at Lake Louise, Alberta, in only her second race back.
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2014: Vonn Skips First Race of 2014 Alpine Skiing World Cup
Lindsey Vonn traveled to Austria for the first race of the 2014 Alpine Skiing World Cup but decided not to compete during the first weekend, announcing plans to return to competition in late November.
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January 2015: Vonn Ties and Overtakes World Cup Wins Record
In January 2015, Lindsey Vonn tied and then overtook Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell for the most World Cup wins ever.
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March 18, 2015: Vonn Claims World Cup Downhill Title
On March 18, 2015, Lindsey Vonn won the last World Cup downhill race at Meribel, France, and claimed the World Cup downhill title for the seventh time.
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2015: Vonn Wins Bronze Medal at 2015 World Championships
At the 2015 World Championships in Vail / Beaver Creek, Colorado, Lindsey Vonn won a bronze medal in the super-G, placed 5th in the downhill race, and 14th in the giant slalom race.
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2015: World Cup Season Title
Lindsey Vonn achieved a World Cup season title in 2015.
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November 11, 2016: Vonn Fractures Humerus Bone in Training Crash
On November 11, 2016, Lindsey Vonn announced that she had severely fractured the humerus bone of her right arm in a training crash and underwent surgery to repair the bone.
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2016: 20th World Cup Crystal Globe Title
In 2016, Lindsey Vonn won her 20th World Cup crystal globe title, surpassing Ingemar Stenmark's record.
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January 15, 2017: Vonn Returns to World Cup, Finishes 13th
On January 15, 2017, Lindsey Vonn returned to the World Cup in the downhill race at Altenmarkt, finishing 13th after recovering from a fractured humerus.
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October 2018: Vonn Announces Retirement at End of Season
In October 2018, Lindsey Vonn announced that she would retire from competition at the end of the 2018-19 season, citing physical limitations.
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2018: Vonn Wins Bronze Medal in Women's Downhill at 2018 Winter Olympics
At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Lindsey Vonn tied for 6th in the women's super-G and won the bronze medal in the women's downhill. She dedicated her Olympic races to her grandfather, a Korean War veteran who died the previous November.
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January 2019: Vonn Debuts at Cortina d'Ampezzo
In January 2019, Lindsey Vonn made her season debut at Cortina d'Ampezzo, finishing 15th and 9th in the two downhills, before considering immediate retirement.
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2019: HBO Releases Documentary About Vonn
In 2019, HBO released a documentary about Lindsey Vonn entitled Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season, covering her final World Championship season and her rise to fame.
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January 2023: Vonn Skis the Streif
In January 2023, Lindsey Vonn became the first woman to ski the Streif, albeit on her own and not competitively.
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November 2024: Return to Competitive Skiing Announced
In November 2024, Lindsey Vonn announced her return to competitive skiing.
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