Winter Olympics: Spanish athlete wins bronze in Skimo after being hit by car

Lindsey Vonn made headlines for competing in Milan with a torn ACL, but she was one-upped in extreme toughness by Spain’s Ana Alonso Rodriguez who managed to win bronze after sustaining a laundry list of injuries in a car accident four months ago.

Alonso was training in Granada in October when she was hit by a car while cycling. This wasn’t a small accident either, with the athlete sustaining a torn ACL, MCL, a fractured bone in her ankle, substantial swelling in her knee, as well as a separated shoulder — all affecting the left side of her body. The 31-year-old had an impossible decision to make: Get surgery and miss the games, which could very well be her last, or try somehow to compete through the pain.

She chose the latter.

There was no chance Alonso was going to miss the inaugural competition of Ski Mountaineering (Skimo) at the games. Competing in the women’s sprint, the event entailed running 300 yards uphill in skiis while avoiding obstacles, climbing a large flight of stairs, then skiing to the bottom in a race that lasts around three minutes. Finishing in 3:10.22, she wasn’t the fastest competitor down the mountain, but unquestionably the toughest.

Never ever want to hear from old athletes that the new generation isn’t tough, because between women like Vonn and Alonso they truly did remarkable things at these games.