NEED TO KNOW
- Lindsey Vonn is paying her respects to her late coach
- Erich Sailer, who coached Vonn’s father Alan Kildow, also coached Vonn when she was a child
- The Olympic skier, who injured her knee in a World Cup race last Friday, has not said whether she will compete in this month’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
On the eve of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, and with her participation up in the air after crashing last week during a World Cup race, Lindsey Vonn is remembering her late coach.
On Monday, Feb. 2, the star skier took time to recognize Erich Sailer, her childhood coach who died in August 2025 at the age of 99.
“I know exactly what he would say…Just wish he was here to say it,” Vonn, 41, wrote on her Instagram Stories alongside a photo of Sailer’s gravesite.
Lindsey Vonn/Instagram
Vonn’s post comes three days after she suffered an injury following a crash in Crans Montana, Switzerland during a downhill race held in low visibility conditions. Two other skiers also wiped out in the race, which was later canceled for safety reasons.
After Vonn lost control and ended up in the safety nets, she was attended to by medical staff and appeared to be clutching her left knee. The athlete was airlifted to a local medical facility where she later offered an update on her condition.
“I crashed today in the Downhill race in Switzerland and injured my left knee,” Vonn wrote in a statement shared on Instagram. “I am discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams.”
She continued, “This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics… but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback. My Olympic dream is not over. Thank you for all of the love and support. I will give more information when I have it. Thank you to all the medical staff who helped me today. I am grateful for all the incredible help I received.”
A day later, Vonn sat out from the Super-G event and wished her teammates “a great race.”
“Thank you for all of the love and support I have received,” she told her followers in a post. “Means the world to me. Doing my best right now…. 🙏🏻🤞🏻.”
On Monday, the three-time Olympic medalist — who is set to make history as the oldest woman ever to compete in Alpine racing at the Winter Olympics — reflected on her start in the sport.
Lindsey Vonn/Instagram
Sailer came into Vonn’s life on the day she was born. The renowned ski coach was Vonn’s father Alan Kildow’s coach and was at the hospital for her delivery, according to The Athletic.
Seven years later, Sailer started coaching a young Vonn.
“Erich was more than my ski coach. More than my father’s ski coach. Erich was my family,” Vonn wrote on Instagram after Sailer’s death. “My father has known him for 62 years and he has been a part of my life since I was born. There is no doubt that I would not be the person or skier I am today without him.”
At his funeral in September, the athlete gave an emotional eulogy, The Athletic reported.
“He may have been pissed if I got second [place] — I was really pissed,” Vonn said to laughter in the audience. “But I knew he always believed in me. When people ask me what was the best advice you were ever given in your life, I always say Erich taught me to believe in myself. He taught me to be who I am.”
She added, “Everyone tried to change me, except Erich. He always taught me to just be me.”
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock
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