Lindsey Vonn Divorce: Alone on the runway

Four years after their wedding, the successful U.S. ski racer Lindsey Vonn, has announced their divorce. With Thomas Vonn loses not only her husband but also her closest sports consultant.

On the runway she celebrates success to success, but in private it is not good for U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn. She has made a public announcement with the end of their marriage: "With great regret I announce that Thomas and I have begun the divorce process."

"This is an extremely difficult time in my personal life," it says in the statement, "and I hope that the media respect my fans and my privacy in this matter." The 27-year-old loses top athlete with Thomas, who has claimed to have filed for divorce last Monday, not only a husband: The nine years older than Thomas Vonn, formerly self-Cup driver, also acted as her athletic advisor. After her marriage to Vonn in autumn 2007, the former Miss Kildow a special status in the American team.

Thomas gave her advice on strategic, coordinated press inquiries, took care of the logistics, so that his wife was able to concentrate on their race. With success: Vonn became one of the best racers in the history of the U.S. team that won 42 World Cup titles, won two medals in Vancouver in 2010 and was one of the faces that dominated the Olympic Games. When she won last month's season opening giant slalom in Sölden, Austria, Vonn climbed into the select circle on the Ski racing drivers who have won in all five disciplines.

Other relations cooled off

You'll now continue coached the U.S. ski team, sent a message to Vonn, and looking forward to the rest of the season. On the slalom in Aspen on Sunday but they did not participate, in order to cure back pain from a workout.

Just last winter, Vonn had made headlines with her private life: your initial flagship friendship with Maria Riesch Höfl-cooled noticeably more rather ugly taunts. In the latest edition of Der Spiegel's Vonn the media complicit in the breach with her rival. "There was no envy or jealousy. We have the power underestimated the media," said the American. They had been quoted with increasing success always pointed. "At some point you do not know what is true and what is not. Then you will distanzierst cautious and you automatically from the other," explained the most successful skier of the present.

In summer, the U.S. citizen with Höfl-Riesch had met and agreed that the two no longer speak publicly about each other. But ". It was a very formal conversation, unlike earlier somehow eerie," said the 27-year-old, adding: "Maybe we need us to admit that friendship among competitors only to a certain point is possible Maybe we are. only grow but also become easy. "