Charlie Klein
Lads, we finally have our own Michael Phelps. For the past eight years, I have had to listen to women rave about how cute Michael Phelps was and what a great swimmer he is. While he is a great swimmer, this conversation I'd have with my sisters got boring when I couldn't really name a single female athlete that was even the rough equivalent of Phelps. Until now.
Enter Lindsey Vonn. More of a legitimate athlete than Danica Patrick will ever be, Vonn has become the name in her sport. She is the first American woman to win back-to-back overall World Championships in 2008 and 2009. Her perfomance in Torino in 2006 established her as one of the most spirited Olympians on Team USA as she still raced after having to be evacuated to a hospital after she crashed in a training run for the '06 games.
In the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver Vonn has one gold already for the Americans. She became the first American woman to win in the downhill competition. She also won bronze in the Women's Super G. Vonn still has two more races before the flame is extinguished on the games this year. If she medals in both it will be a monumental accomplishment for USA Skiing and the USA in the Winter Games.
I am not trying to say that Vonn is beautiful enough or talented enough to make the general public intrigued in skiing when it is not the Olympics, but her accomplishments and what they have meant for female athletes in the USA cannot be denied.
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