Award Shows July 14, 2016
Lindsey Vonn Reveals Why She's Not Going to the Rio Olympics
On Wednesday night, Lindsey Vonn killed it on the red carpet in a Michael Costello jumpsuit at the ESPY Awards. Before presenting at the star-studded show, the gold-medal-winning Olympic skier chatted with "Extra" special correspondent Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, who asked her point-blank if her decision to skip the Olympics in Rio had anything to do with possibly wanting to get pregnant.
When Akbar asked if she was planning on having a baby, Vonn, who famously dated Tiger Woods and was recently spotted poolside with Jeremy Piven, responded, "No, definitely not — not any time soon, anyway."
Instead, Vonn is avoiding the Olympics due to the Zika virus, which has no cure. The virus can be transmitted through mosquito bites and cause those infected to suffer neurological problems, paralysis, blindness, and lead to birth defects in the babies of pregnant women. She explained, "I don't know... I just think that for me, as a spectator, the risk is too high and, I mean, I'm sure it's gonna be safe and the athletes are gonna be fine, but for me it just… I don't know, it doesn't really make… make sense for me to go down there.”
Vonn's reason is also why golfer Rory McIlroy bowed out of the Olympic games. He said in a recent statement, "After speaking with those closest to me, I've come to realize that my health, and my family's health, comes before anything else. Even though the risk of infection from the Zika virus is considered low, it is a risk nonetheless and a risk I am unwilling to take.”
For more pics from the ESPYs, check out our gallery!