She came into the Olympics the darling, but after two weeks appears to be heading out the devil. Lindsey Vonn once again proved the drama queen, stealing headlines with her fall in the giant slalom. This time her antics were more critical, as she cost her teammate a medal in their signature event.
Vonn was coming down the slope yesterday amidst the fog and snow when she took her second spill of the Olympics while knocking herself out of the event with a DNF. The Olympic organizers setup the event to have a staggered start which placed multiple skiers on the hill at the same time. Right behind Vonn was USA teammate and reigning Gold Medalist in the giant slalom, Julia Mancuso.
After falling and being sent flying into the safety fence, Vonn once again played it up for the cameras in an effort to stay face forward in the Olympic spotlight. Despite just an injury to her pinky finger, Vonn was unable to extricate herself for the course to allow Mancuso to complete her run. As a result, Mancuso was flagged and had to start over.
Unfortunately for Mancuso, her time was among the leaders when she got pulled. She was send back to the top of the mountain and had to wait for 13 more skiers. By that point, the weather and mountain had deteriorated and Mancuso ended up 18th after her run. Mancuso rebounded on her second run, but was only able to get up for 8th place. If not for Vonn’s mishap, Mancuso likely brings home a third medal.
Not all the blame should go to Vonn on this, but she deserves a heaping portion size. The IOC should be ashamed of their actions by not giving every skier an equal chance at success. They have to take into account falls as well as prima donna behavior when they schedule. To have an Olympic race result disrupted like this in a terrible situation.
But Vonn is not off the hook, as she does deserve a lot of the blame. Her incessant desire to get camera time and cash in for big endorsement dollars is getting pretty disgusting in her attempt to be the next Michael Phelps. The difference between Vonn and Phelps is that Phelps got the job done before putting himself out there and Vonn is scrambling for dollars and not delivering. Its just plain icky.
Fault her husband Tom, the architect of the Lindsey Vonn brand. Every camera shot seems staged and Vonn’s emotions seem rehearsed. From stealing the show at the Team USA press conference over a minor injury to needing Tom to “come to the top of the mountain to ease her nerves” to having the it setup for them to hug and cry right in front of the cameras after her gold medal run…I am starting to grow weary.
Perhap Vonn’s estranged father had it right that her husband Tom was steering her poorly. His feelings on the subject are now on full display for the world to see. Should Vonn continue skiing after these Olympics, first order of business needs to hire a real manager and have Tom sit where he belongs…in the stands with the fans.
Tags: 2010 olympics, 2010 winter games, julia mancuso, lindsey vonn, tom vonn
A lot of other athletes have won a gold medal, but it was that SI photo shoot that got her the acting gig!
You got that right. Straight sellout. Her performance at the Olympics was actually a failure given her dominance in the World Cup. Mancuso totally outperfomed her, but Vonn gets the endorsements because she went to prep class. Don’t think for one minute that Vonn doesn’t realize she didn’t deliver like she could have.