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Lindsey Vonn's Flight to South Korea for 2018 Winter Olympics Delayed
February 7, 2018
American skier Lindsey Vonn's arrival to the 2018 Winter Games was reportedly delayed by more than six hours.
On Wednesday, Wayne Drehs of ESPN.com reported Vonn's flight from Munich to Seoul took off six hours and 16 minutes later than initially planned because of paperwork concerns.
According to Drehs, Vonn said she and the other passengers sat on a plane for three hours because it needed a new document to fly. They then deplaned and boarded another one, which they sat on for another 90 minutes before departing.
Vonn tweeted through the ordeal:
Drehs noted she said there were other Olympic athletes on the flight, including German skier and flagbearer Eric Frenzel.
Fortunately for Vonn, her first event isn't until Saturday, Feb. 17, so she won't have to rush from the flight into any immediate competition. She will take the slopes in the Super G that day but is also looking to defend her downhill gold medal she won eight years ago after missing the Sochi Olympics in 2014 with a knee injury.
She has dealt with injuries throughout her career and saw her 2013, 2014 and 2016 seasons all cut short. She was also airlifted off the mountain after crashing in practice for the 2006 Torino Olympics.
Despite the setbacks, Sean Gregory of Time noted her 78 World Cup wins are the most ever for a female skier.
Vonn is one of the most accomplished and recognizable of all the athletes the United States is sending to the 2018 Games and likely hopes her plane delay is the only obstacle she runs into as she attempts to add to her legacy with more Olympic medals.