Lindsey Vonn has led the tributes after former US alpine skier TJ Lanning died at the age of 41.
Lanning passed away on July 2 in Park City, Utah, and a cause of death has not yet been announced. He leaves behind two children, his parents and many other loved ones.
Vonn, who knew Lanning for most of his life, shared an emotional tribute to him on Instagram, writing: ‘TJ (aka crowbar jr) – we’ve known each other since we were 12.
‘We shared a lot of memories on the mountain. I hope you are at peace my friend. We will all miss you. Until we meet again.’
Lanning was a promising skier whose career was derailed by a sickening injury in Lake Louise, Canada in 2009.
After losing control, Lanning crashed and fractured his neck and sustained a major left knee injury. It ultimately forced him into retirement and from there, he became a coach with the United States team.
Lindsey Vonn has led the tributes after former US alpine skier TJ Lanning died at the age of 41
Lanning, who leaves behind two children and his parents, was both a skier and a coach
‘I hope you are at peace my friend. We will all miss you. Until we meet again,’ Vonn wrote
Upon announcing his death, the organization said Lanning’s ‘impact on our sport went far beyond his years of competition.’
Ski Racing Media said that Lanning’s racing career ‘was marked by promise, pain, persistence and impact.’
The outlet added: ‘He brought the sport moments of genuine excitement and, later, gave back through coaching. His death at such a young age is a profound loss for the American ski racing community.’
Lanning spent more than two decades with the US team – first as a skier and then as a coach. He made three World Championships appearances and won the US National Downhill title.
‘As a coach, he shared his knowledge, experience, and passion for the sport with the next generation. His career in skiing touched countless lives around the world,’ an obituary read.
‘TJ will be remembered for his larger-than-life personality, his loyalty, and his willingness to always speak his mind. If you were his friend, you knew he would stand by you when it mattered most.
‘He pushed his skiing to, and sometimes beyond, the thin red line, and he brought that same intensity to every part of his life, making his presence felt wherever he went.
Lanning spent more than two decades with the US team – first as a skier and then as a coach
Vonn has already undergone eight surgeries since her crash at the Winter Olympics this year
‘He cared deeply for the people he loved and always wished he could make life easier for those around him. He gave of himself, and often expected more of himself than anyone else did.
‘His life reminds us that strength and vulnerability are not opposites, they often exist in the very same heart. Like all of us, he was wonderfully and imperfectly human.
‘He will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him… his story reminds us to celebrate strength, to recognize vulnerability, and to care deeply for one another.’
Last month, meanwhile, Vonn shared footage of her gym workouts as she continues to recover from a horrific leg injury at the Winter Olympics.
Vonn has already undergone eight surgeries since her crash in the women’s downhill race on February 8 at the Milan Cortina Games.
She suffered a complex tibia fracture that nearly led to amputating her left leg. Vonn was competing in the race on a torn left ACL, which she injured in a crash leading into the Winter Olympics.
