"I am disappointed" - Lindsey Vonn makes feelings clear after Mikaela Shiffrin pairs with Breezy Johnson for combined team event

Lindsey Vonn was disappointed with how Mikaela Shiffrin handled the decision to choose her teammate for the newly introduced combined team event at the World Championships. The three-time Olympic medalist had expressed her desire to pair up with Shiffrin for the team event.

Vonn and Shiffrin are the two most decorated female skiers in history, and the two joining hands for a team competition would have been a dream for any skiing fan. While Vonn was ready, Shiffrin announced last week that she wouldn't compete in the event and wanted to focus on individual events as she recovered from injury.

However, the 29-year-old changed her plans on Sunday and said she was now racing in the team competition with the newly crowned downhill world champion Breezy Johnson.

"Since we have now realized that the GS is not in the cards just yet, that re-opens up the opportunity for me to join my teammates in the Team Combined. I’d feel lucky and grateful to partner with any of my incredible Speed teammates—and our coaches have now informed us that Breezy and I will paired together for the event," she wrote in an Instagram post on Monday, February 10.

Vonn, now slated to pair up with AJ Hurt, said she was disappointed with how Shiffrin handled the situation.

“I’m excited for Breezy and Mikaela to team up together and I believe they are a great pair. However, I am disappointed in the way it was handled,” Vonn said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.

She also voiced her disappointment in an X post on Monday, writing:

"Always been a team player and I support my team no matter what. I’m not surprised by the decisions made but at least now it’s clear that it’s not my decision. I have always been supportive and respectful and that will never change."

While Vonn and Shiffrin pairing up for the team event would have been a great advert for the sport, it would have also meant fewer chances of a medal for Team USA, as the former has largely struggled since coming out of retirement last year.

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"The only thing I’m moving on from are your comments" - Lindsey Vonn's perfect response to critics

Lindsey Vonn at the World Championships- Source: Getty

Lindsey Vonn is one of the oldest skiers competing in the world, and while no athlete older than 34 has won an Alpine Skiing World Cup race, she is after breaking the records. The 40-year-old has been criticized for her comeback but has responded with fitting replies to trollers.

After Vonn voiced her disappointment in the above-mentioned X post, a user replied to her:

"Why are you competing at all in skiing? Your time has come and gone."

The three-time Olympic medalist replied that she loved what she was doing and asked the user to find something they would enjoy doing.

"Why do you do anything in life? My time is what I make of it. I’m doing what I love, maybe you should find something you enjoy doing and stop criticizing others," Lindsey Vonn replied

When the user asked her to move on from the sport, Vonn made it clear that the only thing she was moving on from was their comments.

"Oh but you are trying to tear me down. But you will not succeed. The only thing I’m moving on from are your comments," Lindsey Vonn wrote

The 40-year-old did not finish her Super-G race on February 6 at the World Championships in Saalbach. She finished 15th in the downhill on February 8 and would now be eager to win a medal in the team event to finish her final World Championships campaign on a high.