Lindsey Vonn Scatters Grandfather's Ashes in Korea After Final Olympic Race

Lindsey Vonn took a moment for herself to scatter her grandfather's ashes in Pyeongchang, South Korea, during the 2018 Winter Olympics on Thursday.

Vonn told the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com) she was able to scatter the ashes of her grandfather on a rock in the area where the downhill race took place. 

"I know that it would mean a lot to him to be back here, a part of him is in South Korea always," she said. 

Vonn won a bronze medal in the women's downhill on Tuesday, her first Olympic medal since 2010. 

Vonn's grandfather, Don Kildow, died at the age of 88 last November. He was an engineer in the Army Corps during the Korean War before being honorably discharged in 1953, per his obituary in the Milton Courier. 

At a Feb. 9 press conference, Vonn told reporters she was hoping to have a successful run at the Olympics in honor of her grandfather. 

"I want so badly to do well for him, and I miss him so much," she said. "He’s been such a big part of my life, and I really hoped he would be alive to see me, and I know he's watching and I know he's going to help me. I’m going to win for him."

Prior to her run on Tuesday, Vonn wrote on Twitter it will "most likely" be her final Olympic downhill race. The 33-year-old has won three Olympic medals in her career, becoming the first American woman to win gold in the downhill at the 2010 Games.