"My dream since I was 9"- Lindsey Vonn reflects on her Olympic debut as a 17-year-old alongside gold medalist skier Picabo Street

Retired skier Lindsey Vonn reflected on her Olympic debut in 2002 alongside 1989 gold medalist Picabo Street. The American athlete expressed how it was her ‘dream’ to ski with Street ever since she met her at the age of nine. Street has been Vonn’s role model from the start of her skiing journey. In fact, she also mentored Vonn and hugely impacted her career.

Lindsey Vonn, 39, had one of the most decorated skiing careers of all time. The former skier boasts 82 World Cup victories, a record that stood until it was broken by Mikaela Shiffrin in January 2023.

Vonn also became the first American woman to bag a gold medal in the downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. In the same year, she won the bronze medal in the Super G category. Vonn bagged her last Olympic bronze medal in the downhill event in 2018. She competed in a total of four Olympic Games.

Recently, the official Instagram page of Olympics.com shared a throwback video of Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic debut in the 2002 Salt Lake City edition. Elated by the rush of memories, the legendary skier reshared the video on her Instagram stories.

She also penned her happiness about skiing with her mentor and idol, Picabo Street in the Olympics. Vonn wrote:

"17 years old… my dream since I was 9 when I met @picabostreet and I raced with her in those Olympics."

Lindsey Vonn's Instagram Story (Image via Instagram/lindseyvonn)

In the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Vonn competed in the slalom and combined category. She managed to shine in combined by attaining the sixth rank. On the other hand, her idol Picabo Street finished sixteenth in downhill. It was her last international championship as she signed up for retirement thereon.

---

Picabo Street on meeting Lindsey Vonn for the first time

Picabo Street at 2002 Salt Lake City Winnter Olympics

In an interview with Olympics.com in 2019, Picabo Street recalled meeting Lindsey Vonn at a ski shop in Minnesota during an autograph signing. She shared her observation of Vonn’s passion for skiing with her attentiveness and excitement.

Street described her demeanor at the event, saying:

"As she moved forward through the line, I saw the intensity in her increase. She stood out amongst the crowd for sure, not because she was tall, but because of the attention she paid to the whole environment, knowing that she was going to be in that same situation one day."

Furthermore, she expressed her delight at making an impression in front of the three-time Olympic medalist and inspiring her to leave a mark in the sport.

Besides Picabo Street’s Olympic achievements, she also bagged the world championship gold medal in downhill and a bronze medal in Super-G at the 1996 Sierra Nevada. In the 1993 Morioka World Championship, she won the silver medal in the combined category.