Lindsey Vonn responds to haters after being called 'selfish' for participating in Olympics

Lindsey Vonn has responded to haters who called her selfish after the athlete's horror injury at the Winter Olympics.

The sporting events, which come to a close today in Milan Cortina, have thrown up plenty of memorable moments over the past couple of weeks but sadly for legendary skier Lindsey Vonn, it was a final Olympics to forget.

She had initially retired from the sport in 2019 but made a surprise comeback, as she aimed to become the most decorated female alpine ski racer in history.

However, she suffered an ACL injury just weeks before the Winter Olympics, which dented her chances but not her willingness to compete, and she went on to crash just seconds into her Olympic return.

She's spent much of the past two weeks in hospital, without being able to walk, after fracturing her leg in a horrific injury which saw her airlifted from the snow before multiple surgeries which have left her with a 'bionic leg'.

Having returned to the US, Vonn has now called out those who called her selfish for competing, with the 41-year-old making it clear that she earned her spot and that her existing ACL injury did not contribute to her leg fracture.

Taking to Instagram, she wrote: “One thing that stung was when people said I was selfish and should give my Olympic spot to someone else.

“So… I just wanted to recap my season for all the haters out there that don’t understand what it means to earn your spot, and on a more positive note, to just reflect.”

She shared the caption alongside videos of her skiing achievements, documenting exactly why she deserved her spot in Milan Cortina, and exactly why the Olympic champion was never going to pass up that opportunity.

Vonn added:“I showed up and did what most thought was impossible at my age with a partial knee replacement. These memories I’ll have forever and I’m grateful for every one of them. Every moment was amazing. Every moment was worth it.”

"It’s not impossible until it’s done. I didn’t reach my ultimate goal…. But I still did a lot.”

Vonn also previously suggested that she knew the risks of competing with her ACL injury but continued to emphasise that she has no regrets, while urging supporters not to feel sad now her career is likely over.

“When I think back on my crash, I didn’t stand in the starting gate unaware of the potential consequences,” she wrote on Instagram last week.

“I knew what I was doing. I chose to take a risk. Every skier in that starting gate took the same risk. Because even if you are the strongest person in the world, the mountain always holds the cards.”

“The ride was worth the fall,” she continued. “When I close my eyes at night I don’t have regrets and the love I have for skiing remains. I am still looking forward to the moment when I can stand on the top of the mountain once more. "And I will.”