When I heard the news of Lindsey Vonn’s crash, I felt awe first — pride, even — ready to defend her against any detractors. The miracle of her tenacity and fearlessness felt phoenix-like. Then I saw the burn.
I felt angry for a woman I will likely never meet. Sad for her. Wounded by the injustice of it all. And yet I couldn’t help seeing the reverse side of this moment: another woman, years earlier, choosing to stop at the top of her game — showing a humility even the loudest critics could not fathom.
In this image taken from video provided by Olympic Broadcasting Services, OBS, United States’ Lindsey Vonn crashes during an alpine ski women’s downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (Olympic Broadcasting Services via AP)
Back then, many were asking why. They longed instead for a Cold War-era victory story — shaken, not stirred — Bela Karolyi carrying Kerri Strug with torn ligaments and a broken ankle after she vaulted anyway, winning gold at any price.
If I could, I would send love to all three of these women — these three sisters of a more hopeful generation: Lindsey Vonn, Simone Biles, and Kerri Strug.
Lindsey Vonn’s legend was built on pushing the limits. Her brief time in Cortina was no different
Simone Biles showed us the beauty of self-compassion and the grace of humility when she opted out — an act not of weakness but of fierce self-possession and higher purpose.
Simone Biles, left, celebrates with Suni Lee after winning gold and bronze respectively during the women’s all around gymnastic final at the 2024 Paris summer Olympics at Bercy Arena on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
Kerri Strug showed us perseverance mixed with fear, choosing to push through pain and sacrifice herself for her team.
And Lindsey Vonn showed us that no matter our age, we still long to be Icarus — even as we grow wise enough to know the cost of flying too close to the sun.
How can we not cheer for all three?
How can we not see that these sisters are reflections of ourselves — of our own choices between pushing forward and pulling back, between ambition and self-preservation?
And who am I, really, to tell their stories at all?
I only know that I want to marvel from the sidelines and say thank you — for what each of you revealed on the field and deep in your hearts.
It isn’t easy striving for glory, grace, and something like godliness all at once, while gravity — both physical and human — pulls us downward.
Oh gravity, if only you were just an external force.
Thank you for showing us how heartbreakingly beautiful it is to strive, to seek, to sacrifice — and sometimes, to stop.
No matter how today ended, that story is eternal.
Michael Alcée, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and author of “The Upside of OCD: Flip the Script to Reclaim Your Life.”
