Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn says she’ll compete in this years games to represent Americans – not Donald Trump.
The 33-year-old is aiming for her second gold medal in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea in February.
But she says that any victory would be for ‘the people of the United States, not the president.’
Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn says she’ll compete in this years games to represent Americans – not Donald Trump (pictured after her win at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics)
Vonn (right) says she wants to represent her country but not President Trump (left) and added that she would turn down an invite to the White House if she won at the Games in February
‘I take the Olympics very seriously and what they mean and what they represent, what walking under our flag means in the opening ceremony,’ she told CNN. ‘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.
‘I hope to represent the people of the United States, not the president.’
Vonn, who was speaking at an event in St. Moritz, Switzerland, says that she would also decline any invitation to come to the White House.
‘Absolutely not,’ said Vonn, when asked if she would accept the invitation if she won gold. ‘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.’
Vonn is one of a number of athletes who have spoken out against Trump since his inauguration (she is pictured skiing down the course during women’s World Cup super G ski race action in Lake Louise, on Sunday, December 3)
Vonn is one of a number of athletes who have spoken out against Trump since his inauguration.
The president has clashed with NFL and NBA stars this year who have chosen to kneel during the national anthem in protest against institutional racism in the US and against some of Trump’s divisive policies.
Meanwhile, Vonn is focusing on the gold at the Olympics and is also attempting to break the record of 86 World Cup victories held by Ingemar Stenmark since 1989.
Pyeongchang will be her first Games since Vancouver 2010, where she wowed the crowds with her gold win. She is now worth an estimated $3 million.
Speaking about the 2018 Olympics in South Korea, she said ‘My focus this year is on the Olympics. I can break the overall win record this year, but I think it’s more realistic to save that for the following year, and really focus on the Olympics this year.’
Glamorous Vonn often attends glamorous red carpet events, seen here at the 2016 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles
Last month, Vonn reportedly split from her beau Kenan Smith (pictured with him at the 2017 French Open in June)
The other ex: Before Smith she romanced golf pro Tiger Woods from 2012 until 2015
In 2013, the blonde suffered a major setback when she injured her knee on the slopes which kept her out of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.
Three years later another injury caused her to be unable to feel her right hand.
‘I got out of surgery and I asked the doctor if he had put a nerve block in my arm because I couldn’t move my hand — and he said he hadn’t’, she told People.
‘It was terrifying. That was the first injury that really scared me. I could have been permanently damaged. It’s scary to think it wouldn’t have just been my career that was over.’
Last month, Vonn reportedly split from her beau Kenan Smith.
‘Unfortunately, their busy schedules ultimately took a toll on the relationship,’ a source told People on Tuesday.
The Olympic skier, 33, and the and the former NFL assistant coach dated for one year but have not been pictured together for several months.
Before that she romanced golf legend Tiger Woods from 2012 until 2015.
Injuries: She suffered setbacks in 2013 and 2016 after crashing out and injuring herself, seen here after a 2016 crash out in Andorra