How Lindsey Vonn’s unrelenting grit drove her to skiing supremacy
American alpine skiing legend Lindsey Vonn reveals how determination helped her overcome adversity with one Olympic gold, two world titles, four World Cup overall trophies and 82 World Cup wins to her name.
Some of the world’s best athletes reveal how their daily psychological approaches can help develop your own mental strength in the new podcast series Mind Set Win – that launched on January 19 – with hosts Cédric Dumont and Kate Courtney helping to lift the lid on how mental techniques used by top athletes, coaches and managers can unlock performance in day-to-day life.
Not just content with hearing fascinating stories, Belgian Dumont and American Courtney also outline practical tips for listeners to take away into the real world.In Episode Nine, speed queen Vonn explains how she endured many significant injury setbacks that required all her resilience and mental strength to overcome with one technique that helped her was to refer back to her ‘why’ and what her purpose was for doing it in the first place.
The 38-year-old then reveals, “Why do I want to do this? I want to go fast, I love pushing myself to the limit and throwing myself down a mountain at 85mph and seeing what happens. I’m not just going to ski to the bottom and see what place I get, I have to push myself to the limit.”
Her favourite book is ‘Grit’ by Angela Duckworth and she describes how she was willing to work harder and longer than anyone else in order to achieve her goals. She added: “It’s been a life of joy but also of sacrifice. I have bled many times to get to 82, and I would do it all over again.”
Dumont explains why Vonn’s mentality to persevere and keep going until she succeeds is the quality that took her from “great” to “exceptional”.
Listen to the new ‘Mind Set Win’ podcast HERE
Header image: Lindsey Vonn of the United States seen in Kitzbuehel, Austria on January 16, 2023. Credit: Joerg Mitter / Red Bull Content Pool
