Lindsey Vonn training in Chile fall 2017. Photo credit: Neil Lande/U.S. Ski Team Backstory Our Parting Gifts for Lindsey Vonn Following the Vail resident's retirement, we decided to add three more medals of our own to her already overstuffed trophy case. • 5280 March 2019 This past month, Colorado’s queen of the slopes, Lindsey Vonn, retired—citing debilitating pain from past injuries—as the most decorated female downhiller ever. During her 19-year career, the 34-year-old Vail resident won three Olympic medals, four World Cup season titles, and 82 World Cup races. As packed as Vonn’s trophy case must be, though, we still don’t think it holds enough awards to honor the challenges she conquered on the way to alpine immortality. Which is why we’re giving her three more. Most Likely to Win While Broken Vonn endured loads of gruesome injuries yet always returned seemingly stronger—sometimes within 24 hours. In 2016, she suffered a fractured knee in a crash only to post the next day’s fastest time. (And you missed work after spraining your ankle during Zumba. Tsk.) The Presidential Medal of Reprimand Before the 2018 Olympics, Vonn declared that she represented “the people of the United States, not the president.” The shot at Donald Trump garnered a fevered response from #MAGA trolls. Rather than pour gas on the situation, though, Vonn delivered a measured response to the virtual venom: “If they don’t like me their loss I guess.” Jennifer Aniston Award for Succeeding in the Face of Sordid Gossip Imagine your new romance being announced to the world via the tabloid headline, “IN LOVE WITH A SEX ADDICT.” Most would up and join a nunnery. Vonn thrived, winning eight World Cup titles during her two-year relationship with Tiger Woods.<doc-sep>Lindsey Vonn and her boyfriend, P.K. Subban, are still going strong. The couple made their official debut at the CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, back in June 2018. The two seem more in love than ever before and things seem to be going well for them both. Since taking their romance public, Vonn and Subban have been pretty open about sharing their love life on their respective social media. While they certainly don’t overdo it, they have been known to post about each other from time to time — and this week wasn’t any different. Here’s what you need to know: Subban Called Vonn the GOAT in a Super Supportive Instagram Post Subban showed just how supportive he is of his leading lady in a sweet Instagram post earlier this week. The photo above was taken at the “Oscars of Sports” awards — the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards — held in Monaco on Monday night. Vonn was honored with the Spirit of Sport Award for her “success and dedication to her sport,” according to CNN. After Vonn accepted the award, the 30-year-old defenseman for the Nashville Predators congratulated her and complimented her in the best way possible, calling her the “GOAT” which is an acronym for “Greatest of all Time.” Fans were quick to comment on the post, showing love for the couple’s sweet relationship. Vonn Announced Her Decision to Retire on Instagram Vonn recently announced her decision to retire from her sport of choice — skiing. After a tough run at the 2017 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, many Vonn fans figured that it was only a matter of time before she decided to officially hang up her skis. She made the announcement in an emotional post on social media on February 1. “It’s been an emotional 2 weeks making the hardest decision of my life, but I have accepted that I cannot continue ski racing. I will compete at the World Championships in Downhill and SG next week in Åre, Sweden and they will be the final races of my career. I have always pushed the limits of ski racing and it has allowed me to have amazing success but also dramatic crashes. I have never wanted the storyline of my career to be about injuries and because of that I decided not to tell anyone that I underwent surgery this past spring. A large portion of cartilage that had delaminated from my bone was removed. My crash in Lake Louise last year was much more painful than I let on, but I continued to race because I wanted to win a medal in the Olympics for my late grandfather. Again, I rehabbed my way back this summer and I felt better than I had in a long time. Then I crashed in Copper this November and injured my left knee, tearing my LCL plus sustaining 3 fractures. Despite extensive therapy, training, and a knee brace, I am not able [to] make the turns necessary to compete the way I know I can. My body is broken beyond repair and it isn’t letting me have the final season I dreamed of. My body is screaming at me to STOP and it’s time for me to listen,” she wrote in part. You can read the full post here. READ NEXT: Lindsey Vonn’s Boyfriend & Dating History<doc-sep>After years of winning Olympic medals, newly retired skier Lindsey Vonn is ready to settle down with the real prize – her boyfriend! The former Team USA athlete, 34, opened up about her relationship with NHL star P.K. Subban, 29, during her appearance on Access Live on Thursday. “He’s definitely the one,” she told host Natalie Morales. “He’s amazing and I’m very lucky to be with him.” Lindsey explained that they met at the ESPY’s a few years ago and P.K. was totally smitten! “As soon as I was single he was very persistent in his messages until we finally met up,” she said. “He won me over!” But, Lindsey made it clear that she isn’t ready for marriage or kids quite yet. “I’ve got to adapt to retired life first before we make any steps in that direction,” she said. Just last week, the duo shared a romantic Valentine’s Day together where P.K. surprised Lindsey with chocolate cake, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and an in-house chef! “He is very good at surprising me. He is very romantic and very cute,” she gushed. It sure looks like their love story is off to the races! WATCH: Lindsey Vonn & P. K. Subban Share A Sweet Kiss On Italian Getaway!<doc-sep>
Lindsey Vonn’s boyfriend thinks she’s the G.O.A.T. and showed her in the sweetest way imaginable – in cake form. Vonn’s boyfriend, P.K. Subban, a Nashville Predators defenseman, shared a video of him surprising the skier with the cake as she returned home from the last race of her career. On Sunday, Vonn competed in her last race at the alpine ski World Championships in Are, Sweden, walking away with a bronze medal in downhill. “Oh yeah, in the mix. Officially retired,” Subban said to Vonn referring to balloons that said, “officially retired.” LINDSEY VONN WINS BRONZE MEDAL IN THE LAST RACE OF HER SKIING CAREER “There she is, home sweet home,” Subban said of his girlfriend. “Look at her, 18 hour flight day, still in the mix.” Vonn turned her attention to a large cake made to look like a goat sitting in the middle of a table. “That cake,” Vonn said. “That’s epic." Later, Subban surprised her with another goat, a stuffed animal, on the bed. “Who’s that? Is that another goat?” Subban said to Vonn as she laughed. LINDSEY VONN TO RETIRE AFTER FEBRUARY’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Vonn apparently appreciated Subban’s sweet gesture and dubbed him the “best boyfriend in the world” on Twitter. Whether the cake tasted baaaaad or good was unclear. Earlier this month, Vonn, 34, announced she planned to retire from ski racing following the world championships in Sweden. The all-time leader in World Cup wins said she planned to retire in December but her ailing knees have contributed to her decision to retire sooner than planned. “My body is broken beyond repair and it isn't letting me have the final season I dreamed of. My body is screaming at me to STOP and it's time for me to listen,” she wrote in a statement. Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and the Associated Press contributed to this report.