Where to Ski And Snowboard - Champion Lindsey Vonn wants to race the men

Champion Lindsey Vonn wants to race the men

10th October 2012, by Abi Butcher

Olympic ski racer Lindsey Vonn wants to becomethe first woman to race against men in a World Cup downhill, next month in Canada.

“I’d like to have one chance in my life to race against them,” said 27-year-old Vonn, in an interview at the weekend. “I’m not asking for World Cup points, I just want the chance to compete.”

Lindsey Vonn has 26 women’s World Cup downhill victories to her name and is known as the most successful female ski racer in American history. She holds five World Championship medals and is the only American woman to have captured won Olympic downhill gold.

Vonn has written to the International Ski Federation (FIS) asking for permission to race against the men on 24 November in Lake Louise, Alberta. But the FIS has said it can’t make a decision until the US ski team formally requests to enter its “superstar”.

The US Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) said this afternoon that it has not yet had a formal discussion with Vonn — but needs to submit a request to the FIS by 3 November.

USSA spokesman Tom Kelly told WTSS: “We clearly have great respect for Lindsey, her accomplishments in the sport and her desire to seek this new challenge. We only just learned of the protocol FIS wishes to manage on this a few days ago and have not had any formal discussions on next steps.”

Earlier this year, 11-year-old British skier Georgia Rawlins was one of a few lucky girls from around the globe to ski with Lindsey Vonn in Breckenridge.

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