The Olympianwrapped up her time on the slopes, Sunday, with a bronze medal in the women’s downhill at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, and marked the occasion with a celebratory Instagram post.
“I DID IT!!!! One last medal in my final race … I couldn’t have asked for anything more!” she wrote. “Thanks everyone for the years of support, it means the world to me! I’ll post more soon but first it’s time to go home!”
Vonn, 34, accompanied the message with a smiling photo showing off her new hardware, along with a slew of other prizes from past races.
The star was quickly met with an outpouring of support from fellow athletes like tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, who wrote, “Congrats Linds! Way to finish on a high!” and actor Patrick Dempsey, who wrote, “Way to finish strong amazing congratulations.”
Other celebrities, like Kate Beckinsale, Winnie Harlow, Lily Aldridge and Lewis Hamilton, also chimed in with congratulatory messages to Vonn.
Vonn celebrated her final win shortly after the race with an Instagram video proclaiming the day an “amazing” one.
“Such a great way to end my career. Thank you, everybody!” she said.
The star athlete’s victory came after she lost control in mid-air and crashed into a gate while competing in the Super-G race last Tuesday.
Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images
The three-time Olympic medalist said in October she was aiming to retire after the 2018-2019 season, and had hopes that she’d break the record for most World Cup wins. Vonn remains behind record-holder Ingemar Stenmark, but is still the leader among women.
As for what’s next, Vonn pondered her post-skiing future to PEOPLE last year, saying she’s looking forward to the public’s realization that she’s more than just an athlete.
“I would just like to be remembered as something more than just a ski racer,” Vonn said. “I’ve tried to be a good role model and I have my foundation and I’ve tried to give back as much as I can, and ski racing is what I’ve done but it’s not who I am, and I think I’m just kind of realizing that now, so hopefully people can see that as well.”
source: people.com
