Who Is Lindsey Vonn? Everything You Need To Know About Tiger Woods' Girlfriend
She’s the girlfriend of Tiger Woods and rumored close pal of his ex Elin Nordegren, so it’s no surprise that Lindsey Vonn’s name is becoming more and more of a tabloid fixture. But beyond her high profile relationship Vonn is an accomplished sportswoman and Olympic gold medalist. So isn’t it time we got to know the alpine ski racer a little better?
Born Lindsey Kildow, the now 29 year old Minnesota native’s skiing ambitions started early. By aged two she was on her first skis and by six she was in her first competitive race. At 10, a meeting with her idol, Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street, would leave an impression both on the young skier and her heroine. Eventually Street would become Lindsey’s coach and mentor. Lindsey’s first major win came in 1998 when at aged 14 she became the first American to win the"Cadets" slalom skiing event at Italy's Trofeo Topolino. Two years later, Lindsey would make her World Cup debut in the Olympic ski team.
Vonn’s Olympic career began at the 2002 Winter Olympics when she came in 6th in the combined skiing race. In 2004 she would take 3rd place in the downhill race at the World Cup. This would be her first of five World Cup podium placings over the next two months. Her second Winter Olympic appearance, in 2006, saw Vonn suffer injury when she crashed during the second training run for the downhill race. Despite suffering a bruised hip, she competed in the race two days later earning eight place. Her determination to continue saw her awarded the U.S. Olympic Spirit Award, for the person who best represented the Olympic spirit as voted for fans, the media and fellow athletes.
2008 to 2010 marked undoubtedly Lindsey’s most successful career run. During this period she became the overall World Cup winner three times. Her first win in 2008 made her only the second American woman to do so, following Tamara McKinney in 1983. The next year she would take home her first world championship as well as being the World Cup winner once again. Her third consecutive World Cup win in 2010 equaled the previous record set by American Phil Mahre and made her only the third woman to achieve more than two consecutive wins.
Next: Lindsey sets more records but faces career halting injuries
Another record was set by Vonn at the 2010 Winter Olympics when she became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in downhill. However the rest of her 2010 Winter Olympic run would be marred by injury after she had previously bruised her shin during training and then broke her finger during the slalom race. A year later, Vonn lost out in her attempt to become a four time consecutive World Cup winner when she was beaten by her friend Maria Riesch by 3 points. A year later Vonn was back on top, claiming her fourth World Cup, her combined victories so far made her become the third most successful female World Cup racer in terms of victories. 2014 proved to be a tricky year for Vonn, with injury putting her career on hold. She missed both the World Cup and the Winter Olympics due to injury, namely a torn ACL, which she sustained during a training session in November.
Her success and record breaking achievements have made Vonn a celebrity both inside and outside the skiing world. However her relationship with Tiger Woods has brought her more tabloid attention. Woods and Vonn confirmed their relationship in March 2013 and she’s been frequently seen supporting him on tour. Recently its also been reported that Vonn is close friends with Tiger’s ex wife Elin Nordegren, undoubtedly making things a little easier for the golfer who suffered a very public break up with Elin in 2010. Vonn herself has been married, to fellow skier Thomas Vonn. The two athletes wed in 2007 but announced their split four years later. Vonn had acted as Lindsey’s coach and chief advisor during her most successful period.
A record breaking skier and Olympic gold medalist, Tiger Woods seems to have chosen very well. With a career like Lindsey’s, Tiger could actually be the lesser sportsperson in their combined household, which is something the celebrated golfer has surely never experienced. So now lets not hear Lindsey Vonn referred to as mainly Tiger Wood’s girlfriend again, because this skiing superstar is clearly so much more.
More: Are Lindsey and Elin close friends?
More: Why did Lindsey miss the Winter Olympics?