LINDSEY VONN has been told her skiing career is finished – by her own dad.

The 2010 gold medallist was looking to secure a remarkable victory 16 years on from her original triumph, but it ended in disaster on the Italian slopes.

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Vonn’s father Alan Kildow has followed her entire careerCredit: AP
 

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Vonn poses with her father just weeks before she suffers the ACL injuryCredit: AP
Vonn entered the Winter Olympics with an ACL injury suffered just one week ago, but she stunned fans by insisting with the aid of a knee brace she would still be able to compete.

After colliding with a gate early into her run on Sunday, Vonn suffered a complex leg break that will now require multiple surgeries to fix.

Her father, Alan Kildow told The Associated Press that will be the final time his daughter skis.

Kildow said: “She’s 41 years old and this is the end of her career.

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“There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.”

Vonn has already had two surgeries to repair her leg and has now spoken of the heartbreaking crash for the first time.

“While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets.

“Standing in the starting gate yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself.

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“I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.”

Although racing with a torn ACL sounds like a nightmare, Vonn insists that wasn’t the root of the horror injuries she suffered in Milano Cortina.

Vonn insisted her knee was stable and strong. She did intensive rehab between the crash and the Olympics, as well as pool workouts and plyometrics.

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Vonn being airlifted away from the terrible crash and off to hospitalCredit: Getty
 

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Clipping the poles is what led to Vonn’s terrible accidentCredit: Reuters
 

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Once disaster struck, Vonn spun out of controlCredit: Reuters
She completed two training runs without issue, including finishing third place on the second one.

“In downhill ski racing the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as 5 inches.

“I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash.

“My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever.”

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The American has gained a strong social media followingCredit: Instagram @lindseyvonn
 

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Vonn won her Olympic gold 16 years agoCredit: AFP
 

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Lindsey Vonn won’t struggle for opportunities away from the slopesCredit: Getty
Vonn, who dated Tiger Woods for nearly three years, was treated on the hill for roughly 13 minutes as devastated Team USA fans watched on.

She was then loaded into a helicopter and airlifted to a local hospital. The three-time Olympic medallist was then transferred to Ca’Foncello Hospital in Treviso, about two hours away. She underwent surgery later that day.

She added: “Similar to ski racing, we take risks in life. We dream. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall. Sometimes our hearts are broken.

“Sometimes we don’t achieve the dreams we know we could have. But that is the also the beauty of life; we can try,” Vonn wrote in her Instagram post.

“I tried. I dreamt. I jumped. I hope if you take away anything from my journey it’s that you all have the courage to dare greatly.

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“Life is too short not to take chances on yourself. Because the only failure in life is not trying.”

If she is indeed done with the sport, she retires as one of the most decorated and greatest skiers of all-time.
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