The 2010 Winter Games are right around the corner, and if the media has their way, US Skier Lindsey Vonn will be a household name by the time the Opening Ceremonies are under way. Lindsey is entering her third Olympic Games at age 25, her last two appearances didn’t yield her anything except experience – and plenty of it. With a legitimate shot at gold in all five women’s Alpine events: downhill, super-G, slalom, GS and super combined (one downhill run and one slalom run), Lindsey is being touted by the media as skiing’s answer to Michael Phelps. Pressure, much?

In reading a recent AP article, Lindsey discusses the weight she bears as an ambassador of her sport – and the pressure that comes with success in the World Cup circuit in a pre-Olympic year. She is quick to remind people that she has not yet won an Olympic medal so any medal, any color would be an accomplishment in her eyes, not to mention the role that Mother Nature can play in the world of ski racing:

“Having not won a medal, I would be really happy with just one bronze. I’m going to go out there and try to win gold, but, you know, there’s a lot of things that can happen in ski racing,” Vonn said when the women’s World Cup circuit made its lone U.S. stop in Aspen late last month. “I mean, I can get a big gust of wind, and my downhill race is over.”

Let’s hope that Lindsey continues handle the balance between training and promotion of the sport she loves so much in the weeks leading up to the games. Good Luck Lindsey!

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