Lindsey Vonn heading into Winter Olympics on high note

Lindsey Vonn is the biggest name in downhill skiing, and she’s heading to PyeongChang on a high note.

When we think of downhill skiing, at least in the United States, Lindsey Vonn is the first name that comes to mind. Her on-hill success has been practically surpassed by her off-hill celebrity, with a past high-profile relationship with Tiger Woods helping foster that.

The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, will start later this week, and a lot of events we only pay close attention to every four years will get spotlight. Downhill skiing is one of those, and thus Vonn will be prominent on the world stage once again.

In Germany for a World Cup event over the weekend, Vonn and Team USA had their final pre-Olympic tuneup. Vonn won her second downhill event of the weekend on Sunday, which gave her 81 career World Cup wins. She is now just five short of the record for wins in World Cup events, set by Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark in the 1980s.

"Two wins is as good as it gets, really. It’s just been a perfect weekend,” said Vonn, who plans to compete in downhill, super-G and the combined event at the Olympics. “It has really been the exact preparation that I was hoping for going into South Korea."

Injuries have also become a storyline for Vonn. She missed the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi with a knee injury, and as recently as earlier this season she dealt with back and knee issues. But as of now she plans to compete in downhill, super-G and combined events in PyeongChang. She won the gold in the downhill and the bronze in the super-G during the 2010 games in Vancouver.

On a health note, Vonn added that she feels good physically going into the Olympics.

"I have really picked up a lot of momentum,” she said after Sunday’s win. “I feel really good physically, mentally. And everything is working well, my equipment is working well, my preparation is perfect. It really couldn’t be better going into the Olympics."

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Whenever Vonn is slated to take the slopes in South Korea, she will be among the most watched and popular American athletes.