{{short description|American former ski jumper (born 1984)}} {{distinguish|Lindsey Vonn}} {{Use American English|date=February 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{MedalTableTop|Lindsey Van crop.JPG|250px}} {{MedalSport | Women's ski jumping}} {{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }} {{MedalWorldChampionships}} {{MedalGold | 2009 Liberec|Individual normal hill}} {{MedalBottom}}
'''Lindsey Marie Van'''<ref>{{cite tweet |user=lindseyvan |author=Lindsey Van |number=450105754934984705 |date=March 30, 2014 |title=@middlenamegame marie}}</ref> (born November 27, 1984) is an American former ski jumper who won her first of 13 U.S. National Ski Jumping Championships in 1998<ref>[https://my.usskiandsnowboard.org/athletes/lindsey-van "Lindsey Van"] at US Ski & Snowboard</ref> and competed in her first FIS event in 2002.<ref>[https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/athlete-biography.html?sectorcode=JP&competitorid=75534&type=career FIS career] at FIS</ref> Van won a gold medal in the inaugural women's ski jumping event at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec and has a total of eight Continental Cup victories in her career.
In 2008, Van's knee cartilage was crushed on the landing of a practice jump; she underwent knee surgery and five months of intense rehab.<ref name=leapfaith/> She returned to competition after six months but injured her knee again.<ref name=leapfaith/> Van has experienced four knee surgeries and a ruptured spleen.<ref name=leapfaith/>
Van was a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the organizers of the 2010 Winter Olympics; she and other female ski jumpers claimed that their rights were violated because only male ski jumpers were permitted to compete in the Vancouver Olympics.<ref name=5lawsuit/> The appeal was unsuccessful.<ref name=apploss/> Van characterized the Canadian legal system as "weak" and said the International Olympic Committee were "like the Taliban of the Olympics."<ref name=apploss/>
Going into the Vancouver 2010 Games, Van held the K95 hill record of 105.5 meters at the site of the 2010 Olympic ski jumping events.<ref name=record/><ref name=frozenout/> This mark was surpassed several times at the 2010 Olympic Games<ref name=oly10nhq/><ref name=oly10nh1/><ref name=oly10nhfin/> and is now held by Simon Ammann with a jump of 108.0 meters.<ref name=berk/>
In 2011, it was announced that women's ski jumping on the normal hill would be included in the 2014 Winter Olympics.<ref name=leapfaith/> Van said, "I was kind of numb when I heard. People expected me to be ecstatic, but I'd been after this for so long, it just didn't sink in at first."<ref name=leapfaith/>
In July 2011, nerve tissues in one of her legs became a problem.<ref name=leapfaith/>
On the appeal of her sport, Van has said, "You are up the in the air and for a minute it's as if you can fly. It's a feeling like nothing else I've ever felt, and as soon as I land, I just want to go back up to the top and do it again."<ref name=leapfaith/>
==References==
{{Reflist|2|refs=
<ref name=leapfaith>{{cite news |url=http://espn.go.com/espnw/journeys-victories/7004594/lindsey-van-fights-wins-olympic-opportunity |title=Leap of faith |first=Julia |last=Savacool |date=September 26, 2011 |work=ESPN |accessdate=September 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028074339/http://espn.go.com/espnw/journeys-victories/7004594/lindsey-van-fights-wins-olympic-opportunity |archivedate=October 28, 2011}}</ref>
<ref name=5lawsuit>[https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090306/ap_on_sp_ol/ski_women_ski_jumpers;_ylt=AqaDotEbLqYVA_b1J1nj.6cLMxIF 5 Female Ski Jumpers Want to Be Added to Lawsuit] Yahoo Sports, March 9, 2009 {{dead link|date=February 2014}}</ref>
<ref name=apploss>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/female-ski-jumpers-lose-appeal-1.810599 Female ski jumpers lose appeal] CBC News Vancouver, November 13, 2009</ref>
<ref name=record>[https://www.espn.com/olympics/skiing/news/story?id=3920762 Van wins women's ski jump title] Associated Press via ESPN.com, February 20, 2009</ref>
<ref name=frozenout>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130129090138/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/ Female Jumpers Frozen Out At Olympics] NBC News, February 10, 2010</ref>
<ref name=oly10nhq>[http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-ski-jumping/schedule-and-results/nh-individual-qualification-round_sjm070901qL.html Normal hill qualification.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513204607/http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-ski-jumping/schedule-and-results/nh-individual-qualification-round_sjm070901qL.html |date=May 13, 2010 }} Vancouver 2010 Olympics, retrieved March 3, 2010.</ref>
<ref name=oly10nh1>[http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-ski-jumping/schedule-and-results/nh-individual-1st-round_sjm070101wK.html Normal hill first round.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213161047/http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-ski-jumping/schedule-and-results/nh-individual-1st-round_sjm070101wK.html |date=February 13, 2010 }} Vancouver 2010 Olympics, retrieved March 3, 2010.</ref>
<ref name=oly10nhfin>[http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-ski-jumping/schedule-and-results/nh-individual-final-round_sjm070102Lh.html Normal hill final round.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213160217/http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-ski-jumping/schedule-and-results/nh-individual-final-round_sjm070102Lh.html |date=February 13, 2010 }} Vancouver 2010 Olympics, retrieved March 3, 2010.</ref>
<ref name=berk>[http://berkutschi.com/en/front/hills/show/46-whistler-olympic-hill Whistler Olympic Hill] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812091256/http://berkutschi.com/en/front/hills/show/46-whistler-olympic-hill |date=August 12, 2011 }} FIS Ski Jumping, retrieved March 3, 2010.</ref>
}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Lindsey Van}} * {{FIS ski jumper|75534}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20090630015957/http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/613.html?sector=JP&competitorid=75534&type=result archive]) * [https://my.usskiandsnowboard.org/athletes/lindsey-van Lindsey Van] at U.S. Ski & Snowboard * {{Team USA|new_id=lindsey-van-870631|old_id=Lindsey-Van|sport=us-ski-and-snowboard|archive=20230402090255}} * {{Olympics.com|lindsey-van}} * {{Olympedia}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140302004610/http://www.outsideonline.com/photo-galleries/Ski-Jumper-Lindsey-Van.html Lindsey Van Photo Gallery]
{{Footer World Champions SJ Individual NH Women}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van, Lindsey}} Category:1984 births Category:American female ski jumpers Category:Living people Category:FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in ski jumping Category:Olympic ski jumpers for the United States Category:Ski jumpers at the 2014 Winter Olympics Category:21st-century American sportswomen