Lindsey Vonn Says She Still Hasn’t Deleted Her Late Mom’s Contact or Texts from Her Phone (Exclusive)

Lindsey Vonn speaks candidly about dealing with her mother’s death.

The Olympic alpine skier, 39, hit the red carpet earlier this week at TIME’s 2024 Women of the Year ceremony in West Hollywood, California, when she spoke with PEOPLE about how she continues to cope with the death of her mother, Lindy Anne Lund, from ALS- And.

Reflecting on some of the fondest memories she has of her mother – who died in 2022, a year after being diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease – Vonn revealed that she still keeps her mum’s contact details and messages on her phone.

“She was texting,” the athlete said. “We had a group family chat, and she would send text messages with different inspirational quotes almost every day. I have a million of them and I always look back at them.”

Lindsay Vonn on the red carpet at the TIME Women of the Year 2024 Gala.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TIME

“Now I kind of got to the point where… there was always something I was happy about when I looked back [on], but I always cried,” she continued. “So now I’m kind of getting to the point where I can look back with happy memories and not completely break down.”

“I still spontaneously combust a lot,” Vonn added. “So it’s a work in progress, but it’s nice to have those things to look back on. And I didn’t delete it from my phone. She is still my number one in the message chain.”

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After Lund died of ALS, Vonn’s rep wrote in a statement to PEOPLE that Vonn “was incredibly grateful for the time she had spent with her since her diagnosis and being with her when she died.”

“ALS is a devastating disease for which no cure has yet been found,” the statement added. “In honor of her mother’s relentless fighting spirit, Lindsey is dedicated to learning more and raising more awareness about this deadly disease.”

In a recent conversation with PEOPLE, Vonn detailed that her mom “has always been a great example and I try to live by that.”

“Sometimes I wake up and I’m tired, I’m not in a good mood, I don’t have the right perspective on things and I don’t take advantage of every opportunity,” she continued. “I have to reset myself sometimes and just think about my mom and how she treated me every day.”

Vonn also noted that exercise is the main valve that allows her to stay positive despite her sadness.

“As hard as it is sometimes, just take a step back, reset, take a breath,” she explained. “That’s why exercise is so important to me. I think it resets my mind and clears everything that I’ve clogging up and just allows me to really go out there with a different mindset, a positive mindset. But it’s not always easy.”

Lindsey Vonn and her mother. Neilson Barnard/Getty for P&G Thank you, mom Lindsey Vonn reflects on the guilt she felt over her mother’s stroke: ‘It’s hard for me to process’ (Exclusive)

In an interview for February on Grilling with Curtis Stone podcast, Vonn said she once had to return to exercise after her mom had a stroke.

“My mom had a stroke when she gave birth to me and was permanently disabled,” she explained on the HSN+ series. “And she couldn’t run, she could never ski with me, she couldn’t ride a bike, and so in my mind, I’m sitting here thinking I’m doing what I love.”

Lindsey Vonn Reflects on Guilt She Felt Over Mother’s Stroke: ‘It’s Hard for Me to Process’ (Exclusive)

She continued: “My mother can’t, so why should I sit here and be a Debbie Downer? I have to get back in the gym and on the slopes and continue to do what I love and take advantage of this opportunity that has been given to me.”

Vonn also said she considered her mother an “amazing athlete” and felt an “obligation” to achieve her best.

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“It’s something that’s hard for me to process because I’ve always felt very guilty,” Vonn told the chef when asked how her mother’s health was driving her. “My mom — having me hurt my mother and that was very hard for me to accept and I always felt guilty.”

“It is difficult that she is not here. It’s still something I feel so guilty about, but I think it’s encouraged me and helped me and she wouldn’t have it any other way,” she added.

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Source: HIS Education