Medal celebration drowns out trolls’ hate
“So I’m not beaten. I’m standing on the podium and, to me, I feel like I won a gold medal.” Lindsey Vonn In response to social media backlash
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – Lindsey Vonn had the perfect response to the Internet trolls.
She climbed yet another Olympic podium.
Vonn’s bronze medal in the women’s downhill Wednesday came after weeks of being the subject of scorn and vitriol for comments she made about President Trump. She has refused to back down from her views, and did so again after the race.
“I am proud of what I represent and who I am, and I’m very proud to hold the American flag on the podium,” Vonn said. “All Americans deserve to hold the flag and to be proud of their country no matter what their beliefs, because that’s what makes America great.
“So I’m not beaten. I’m standing on the podium and, to me, I feel like I won a gold medal.”
Vonn’s criticism of Trump was actually pretty tame. In a December interview with CNN, she said she would represent the American people, not their president, and hoped to be a good reflection of the country.
“I don’t think that there are a lot of people currently in our government that do that,” she said.
But there are people in this country who view any criticism of Trump as being tantamount to treason, and they went after Vonn with a vengeance. They referred to her in disparaging terms they would never dare utter in her presence. They delighted when she failed to win a medal in the super-G.
One person even said they hoped Vonn would ski off a cliff and die.
It’s appalling treatment, especially for someone who has never done anything to embarrass her country. Or, as one foreign reporter described it Wednesday, “savage abuse.”
“I think social media can be used in a very positive way if you’re a good person,” Vonn said. “I feel like recently it’s just taken a different turn, and I hope it turns around. I hope that instead of tearing people down, we can build people up.
“That’s what sports is about. You’re supposed to be uplifting. This is the Olympics, where we cheer for every country. Instead of hoping that someone falls or skis off a cliff and dies.”
While the Trump supporters are a very vocal group — or maybe they just have better, more active bots — theirs is not the majority opinion. Vonn was cheered loudly by fans, many of whom waved American flags, and there were about 20 who waited two hours for the chance to get her autograph and a selfie.
A radio reporter told Vonn later that some fans had planned to go to other events Wednesday but came to downhill instead to show their support.
“That makes me feel really good,” Vonn said. “For all the people that say bad things, there’s 10 more that say nice things. And it really means a lot to me. I mean, there were so many American flags in the stands, and we’re in South Korea. It’s not like we’re really that close to home.
“That’s what the Olympics are about. It’s the spirit of competition and it’s the spirit of representing your country, and that really makes me happy.”
Let the haters hate. Vonn won’t hear their criticism over the celebration of yet another Olympic medal.