Gold Medalist Lindsey Vonn Files for Divorce
Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn confirmed Sunday night that she is filing for divorce from her husband of four years, Thomas Vonn, who also serves as her chief advisor, according to the AP.
"It is with great sadness that I announce that Thomas and I have begun divorce proceedings," she said in a statement to the AP. "This is an extremely difficult time in my personal life and I hope the media and my fans can respect my need for privacy on this matter."
Vonn is an alpine ski racer with the U.S. Ski Team who became the first American woman and third woman in the world to win three consecutive overall World Cup and downhill championships, which she did in 2008, 2009 and 2010. She also became the first U.S. woman in 2010 to win the gold medal in downhill skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics despite a severely bruised right shin.
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Due to a sore back from training, Vonn opted to sit out of the slalom at the Aspen Winternational World Cup stop in Colorado this past Sunday, but plans to return to the slopes for a downhill training run in Canada on Tuesday.
A former downhill skier himself, placing ninth in the Super-G competition at the 2002 World Olympics, Thomas served as Vonn's coach and manager throughout their marriage, not only providing technical advice but also coordinating appearances and interviews with the media.
"I’m a very from-the-gut, spontaneous person," Vonn previously told Yahoo Sports, speaking of how she and her husband work well as a team. "Sometimes I do things without reason. And [Thomas] is very logical and planned. He’s meticulous. The combination of those two personalities really works well for us. He finds all the details in the course, and I find the speed. Together we create a lot of success."
Vonn said in the statement that she will continue to be coached by the U.S. Ski Team and looks forward to completing the rest of the season.
