Lindsey Vonn and the limits of what is possible

The hype surrounding Vonn’s return knew almost no bounds. Because the American has long been more than just a ski racer. It is a brand, a global narrative of willpower, resistance to pain and American perseverance pathos. And as is often the case when athletes become icons, the line between desire and reality becomes blurred.

You can’t blame Vonn for giving the Olympics another go at one of her favorite courses. She thrives on this inner passion that has driven her for two decades and carried her to countless victories. But one may ask who is actually fueling all the madness surrounding her. The expectations? The longing for the “perfect comeback”? Hollywood is said to have already been ready.

At the same time, the Lindsey Vonn myth also shows how much athletes present themselves today and actively help shape their myth. In social media and in direct exchange with millions of fans, a dynamic arises that goes far beyond classic reporting. The public pressure doesn’t just come from outside – it also grows from our own desire to continue our own heroic narrative.

The fact that the 41-year-old was allowed to compete despite a recently torn cruciate ligament just shows that such heroic stories are sometimes given greater weight than medical reason in high-performance sport. The images of her fall, the screams, the disbelief in the finish area – they are the bitter end of a drama that one could see coming and yet did not want to stop.

One can only wish that Lindsey Vonn would now be seen not as a failed hero, but for what she truly is: one of the greatest skiers in history, a fighter who may have come back once too many times for a human body to handle. And for whom the price at the Olympic Games this time was obviously too high.