Alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn failed to win a medal during her first event at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang after saying going first put her at a ‘disadvantage’.
The 33-year-old US Olympian was a favorite in the Women’s Super-G race but landed herself in sixth place after a stumble on the last turn impacted her time.
Vonn hit back at Trump supporters on Twitter Saturday after they expressed excitement over the Olympian falling during her race.
She caused controversy in December saying she wasn’t competing for the president but told Twitter trolls ‘if they don’t like me, their loss’.
Disbelief: Lindsey Vonn fell short of a medal on Saturday after she stumbled on her last turn during the Women’s Super-G race. She caught herself before she fell but it impacted her time. The US skier said before the race that she was at a ‘disadvantage’ because she had to go first
The Olympian was consoled at the finish after her Super-G race didn’t go as planned. She was a favorite to medal during the race but fell on the last turn
Trump supporters took to Twitter to express their delight when Vonn didn’t place
The 33-year-old skier thanked the soccer player on Twitter for her support
Vonn told CNN in December: ‘I hope 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 ceremony.’
Supporters of the president were outraged by her comments and some took to Twitter to state they were happy seeing Vonn fall during her event.
One said: ‘Lindsey Vonn said she was going to boycott the White House visit. No worries. Her President doesn’t plan to see her. Because she’s not a winner.’
Another said: ‘Ha. Ha….When you insult (The President) you insult America…No White House invite for you!’
People on Twitter were calling it the ‘Trump Curse’ after other US Olympians who were vocal about President Trump also fell short during their events.
The skid that cost her: Vonn stumbled on her last turn, which prevented her from earning her medal during the Super-G race
Vonn stirred controversy in December when she told CNN that she was representing the people, not the president. She is pictured during her Super-G event
Olympic gold medalist and former US soccer player Julie Foudy was shocked by some of the tweets she saw. She said people should support the US Olympians, not root for them to fail
People were calling it the ‘Trump Curse’ after other US Olympians who expressed their disdain for the president also fell short during their own events
Olympic gold medalist and former US soccer player Julie Foudy said she was ‘sickened and disgusted’ by some of the tweets after Vonn’s event.
She said: ‘She just raced her d*** heart out & Trump supporters gloat/cheer/celebrate her inability to medal. Is this what we’ve become?’
But Vonn wasn’t letting her fall during the event or people on Twitter upset her.
She responded to Foudy saying: ‘It’s ok Julie. Not everyone has to like me but my family loves me and I sleep well at night. I work hard and try to be the best person I can be.
‘If they don’t like me their loss I guess.’
Going first during her Super-G race prevented her from seeing how other skiers reacted to problem areas on the course. She told NBC before the race that this was a ‘disadvantage’.
The gold medalist started out fast at the beginning of the race and looked like she had a shot at placing on the podium.
But she skidded on the last turn and almost fell before she reaching the finish line.
Vonn has won two Olympic medals in previous years. She is pictured during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games after she won a bronze medal during her Super-G race
The skier also won a gold medal during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games on a downhill event. Vonn has another shot at earning a third Olympic medal on Tuesday
Vonn said after the race: ‘Everything lined up except for one turn. That’s all it takes. That’s ski racing and that’s why it’s so difficult to win at the Olympics because literally anything can happen.’
She added: ‘I’m super happy. I left it all on the hill. Hindsight is obviously 20-20, but I wouldn’t change anything.’
This is Vonn’s last Olympic games. She has another shot at winning a medal on Tuesday when she competes in a downhill event.