Sportsmanship goes beyond the perimeters of respective sports, and Candace Parker's remarks about Lindsey Vonn displayed this once more.

In the latest episode of the ‘Post Moves with Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston’ podcast, Parker expressed her appreciation for the five-time Olympian Lindsey Vonn.

Parker, a former WNBA star, is well aware of playing through injuries. Something that Vonn has recently done. While it didn’t end well for the latter, Parker lauded Vonn’s resolve to perform ignoring the odds against her.

“Love Lindsey Vonn. Gutted for her when she ruptured her ACL”, Parker said. “That’s her heart, she decided she wanted to play, and I think you decide that you live with the results. All the work she put in, I think she’s able to make that decision.”

Vonn entered the Milan Games with an ACL injury and a titanium knee. But just 13 seconds into her February 8 race, she crashed hard and had to go under the knife. Despite the criticism Vonn faced for her actions, Parker knows what makes someone an athlete.

“People try to tell, like experts try to say this, this and this, without knowing all of the facts or being in it. It’s really tough when something like that happens”, she said.

“But again, as athletes, you can’t turn it off and turn it on. Like the reason why we are where we’re at is because of that drive. And because of that desire to continue.”

Vonn knows that most would not dare to do what she did at the age of 41. And hence, she didn’t just sit there and take the heat, but clapped it back at the critics.

Lindsey Vonn’s Answer to Haters

The most stinging talk was that Vonn should have given the Olympic spot to a younger athlete. And in her most recent Instagram post, Vonn stated that she “wanted to recap her season for all the haters out there that didn’t understand what it means to earn your spot."

The video she posted showed races from earlier this season at St Moritz, Val d’Isère, Zauchensee and Tarvisio. For the Olympic run-up, Vonn reached the podium in all five World Cup downhill races she entered. So, it wasn’t “all for nothing… it wasn’t a dream”.

Vonn’s caption further read, “I came back. I won. I showed up and did what most thought was impossible at my age with a partial knee replacement. These memories I’ll have forever, and I’m grateful for every one of them. Every moment was amazing. Every moment was worth it.”

While many criticised Vonn, athletes like Parker gave her athleticism a nod of recognition and admiration. Do you agree with Parker's views in this regard?

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Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Souvik Roy