Lindsey Vonn won't visit the White House after the Olympics
American skier Lindsey Vonn, who hopes to win a gold medal at the upcoming Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, knows who she’ll be representing when she competes in the downhill. In an interview with CNN’s “Inside Edge” on Thursday, she was clear and passionate about her intentions.
“I hope to represent the people of the United States, not the president.”
Vonn, who was very thoughtful about her words during the interview, told CNN how meaningful it is for her to represent her country at the Olympics, and it’s not a responsibility she takes lightly.
“I take the Olympics very seriously and what they mean and what they represent, what walking under our flag means in the opening ceremony. I want to represent our country well. I don’t think that there are a lot of people currently in our government that do that.”
Vonn also said that she would not be visiting the White House, even if she does win a medal.
“Absolutely not. No. But I have to win to be invited. No actually I think every US team member is invited so no I won’t go.”
There’s no question where Vonn stands. She’s the latest of a number of athletes, like the Golden State Warriors, to reject or decline an invitation to visit the White House after a significant athletic accomplishment.
Vonn is currently in St. Mortiz, Switzerland, to compete in a World Cup event, which will allow her to qualify for the Olympics in February. This will be Vonn’s second Olympics, and also her last. She won gold in 2010 in the downhill event, but missed the 2014 Olympics due to a knee injury.
– – – – – –
Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher
