Lindsey Vonn

Lindsey Vonn
April 2024
Personal information
Birth nameLindsey Caroline Kildow
Born (1984-10-18) October 18, 1984
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
OccupationAlpine skier
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Sport
Country United States
Skiing career
DisciplinesDownhill, Super-G,
Giant slalom, Combined
(also Slalom before 2012)
ClubVail SSC
World Cup debutNovember 18, 2000 (age 16)
RetiredFebruary 10, 2019 — November 14, 2024
WebsiteLindseyVonn.com
Olympics
Teams4 – (2002, 2006, 2010, 2018)
Medals3 (1 gold)
World Championships
Teams9 – (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2025)
Medals8 (2 gold)
World Cup
Seasons20 – (20012019, 2025)
Wins82 – (43 DH, 28 SG, 4 GS, 2 SL, 5 SC)
Podiums138 – (66 DH, 47 SG, 6 GS, 5 SL, 13 SC, 1 PSL)
Overall titles4 – (200810, 2012)
Discipline titles16 – (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
Total 3 5 6
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
Total 82 36 20
Olympic Games
2010 VancouverDownhill
2010 VancouverSuper-G
2018 PyeongchangDownhill
World Championships
2009 Val-d'IsèreDownhill
2009 Val-d'IsèreSuper-G
2007 ÅreDownhill
2007 ÅreSuper-G
2011 GarmischDownhill
2015 Beaver CreekSuper-G
2017 St. MoritzDownhill
2019 ÅreDownhill
World Junior Championships
2003 Puy St. VincentDownhill
2004 MariborDownhill
2004 MariborGiant slalom

Lindsey Caroline Vonn (née Kildow /kɪld/; born October 18, 1984) is an American World Cup alpine ski racer. She won four World Cup overall championships – third amongst female skiers to Annemarie Moser-Pröll and Mikaela Shiffrin – with three consecutive titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010, plus another in 2012. Vonn won the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the first one for an American woman. She also won a record eight World Cup season titles in the downhill discipline (2008–2013, 2015, 2016), five titles in super-G (2009–2012, 2015), and three consecutive titles in the combined (2010–2012). In 2016, she won her 20th World Cup crystal globe title, the overall record for men or women, surpassing Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden, who won 19 globes from 1975 to 1984. She has the third highest super ranking of all skiers, men or women.

Vonn is one of six women to have won World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing – downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and super combined – and won 82 World Cup races in her career. Her total of 82 World Cup victories was a women's record until January 2023, when it was surpassed by Shiffrin. Only Shiffrin and Stenmark, with 86 World Cup victories, have more victories than Vonn. With her Olympic gold and bronze medals, two World Championship gold medals in 2009 (plus three silver medals in 2007 and 2011), and four overall World Cup titles, Vonn is one of the most successful American ski racers, and is considered one of the greatest of all skiers.

In 2011, Vonn received the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award, and was the United States Olympic Committee's sportswoman of the year. Injuries caused Vonn to miss parts of several seasons, including almost all of the 2014 season and most of the 2013 season. While recovering from injury, she worked as a correspondent for NBC News, covering the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. In 2019, she announced her retirement, citing her injuries. Vonn announced she was returning to competitive skiing in November 2024.