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Lindsey Vonn Shares Her Official Mantra for the Olympics With Team USA Ahead of Games

The Alpine skiier is embracing a positive mindset ahead of February’s Milan Cortina Games.

Cara O’Bleness

Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn / Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images

Lindsey Vonn is headed to the Milan Cortina Games next month, and there is a particular guiding principle the 41-year-old Alpine ski racer is leading with as she approaches the competition.

“My mantra for the Olympics is ‘Today is another great day,’” Vonn stated in a new Instagram reel shared by Team USA. “When my mom was sick, she would wake up every day and say ‘Today is another great day,’ and I think it’s just an important reminder to believe in myself. Life is short, always give your best.”

Vonn’s mantra certainly is a special one. Her mother, Linda Krohn, died of ALS in August 2022, just one year after her diagnosis. The professional athlete has often spoken out about how positive her mother remained throughout her battle with the illness, and how she attempts to bring a similar outlook to her own life.

“ ... Whenever I got hurt skiing, I would ask myself, If my mom can be as positive as she is, who am I to complain?” she told Elle in June 2024. “What I’ve learned is to never waste a chance to say I love you. Don’t waste a chance to give someone a hug. Don’t wait for an opportunity. Go do it. Go explore. Go live. Go try. All I can do is do what my mom did and just keep trying with a smile on my face.”

This year’s Winter Olympics will be Vonn’s fifth. She made her debut in Salt Lake City in 2002, and has three medals to her name, including one gold (2002 downhill) and two bronze (2010 Super-G and 2018 downhill). The athlete, who retired from skiing in 2019 due to injury, announced her plan to return to the slopes in November 2024. Earlier this month, Vonn landed on the cover of Self, and in her cover story, noted that this year’s Olympic Games will be her last.

“This is 24 years after my first Olympics,” Vonn, who has the second-most World Cup victories by a female Alpine skier of all time with 84 wins to date, told the outlet. “I’ve won everything I could have ever won. I’m not doing this to prove anything to anyone. I’m doing this because I think I can do well, it’s a meaningful place for me, and I think I can make a positive impact.”

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Cara O’Bleness
CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.

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