Olympian Lindsey Vonn to Retire After Next Championship

Olympian Lindsey Vonn has announced that she will retire from skiing after her next championship competition.

In a lengthy statement posted to her Facebook page, Vonn opened up about her decision, and explained that her physical state of being is a big part of why she has chosen to retire.

"The past two weeks have been some of the most emotionally challenging days of my life," Vonn's statement began. "I am struggling with the reality of what my body is telling me versus what my mind and heart believe I'm capable of. The unfortunate reality is my mind and body are not on the same page."

"After many sleepless nights, I have finally accepted that I cannot continue ski racing. I will compete at the World Championships in Downhill and Super-G next week in Åre, Sweden and they will be the final races of my career," she added, revealing that she will compete one final time before hanging up her gear.

"Over the past few years I have had more injuries and surgeries than I care to admit. I have always pushed the limits of ski racing and it has allowed me to have amazing success but also dramatic crashes," Vonn went on to say. "I have never wanted the storyline of my career to be about injuries and because of that I decided not to tell anyone that I underwent surgery this past spring. A large portion of cartilage that had delaminated from my bone was removed. My crash in Lake Louise last year was much more painful than I let on, but I continued to race because I wanted to win a medal in the Olympics for my late grandfather."

Vonn explained that she was able to get back in competitive shape, but then had another accident that did a signifcant amount of damage to her body.

"Again, I rehabbed my way back this summer and I felt better than I had in a long time. Then I crashed in Copper this November and injured my left knee, tearing my LCL plus sustaining 3 fractures," she shared. "Despite extensive therapy, training and a knee brace, I am not able make the turns necessary to compete the way I know I can. My body is broken beyond repair and it isn't letting me have the final season I dreamed of. My body is screaming at me to STOP and it's time for me to listen."

"At this point, arthritis is the least of my worries and I hope I can still ski with my kids some day. But even knowing what lies ahead for my body, it has still been worth it. I have always worked hard, fought back and dealt with whatever comes my way because I simply love skiing," Vonn also said. "At no point have I ever regretted my injuries, my comebacks, the therapy, the preparation and even the pain because in my mind it has always been worth it."

Vonn's full retirement statement can be read here.