People hoping I break my neck after comments about Donald Trump, says Lindsey Vonn
US Alpine skier sparks backlash after saying she will not visit the White House if she wins gold at the Winter Olympics
Lindsey Vonn, one of the most heralded Alpine skiers of all time, was stunned by the responses she received since commenting last week that if she were to win a gold medal in the Pyeongchang Olympics she would not visit President Donald Trump’s White House.
In an Instagram post, Vonn wrote the reaction “opened my eyes” to divisions in the country and said “it is hurtful to read comments where people are hoping I break my neck or that God is punishing me for being ‘anti-Trump’”.
Vonn, who hurt her back last weekend during a World Cup super-G race in Switzerland, is aiming to compete in her fourth Olympics and told CNN she hopes “to represent the people of the United States, not the president”.
“I take the Olympics very seriously and what they mean and what they represent, what walking under our flag means in the Opening Ceremonies,” she added.
“And, you know, I want to represent our country well, and I don’t think there are a lot of people currently in our government that do that.”