Winter Olympics legend Lindsey Vonn set for her swansong

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The world will see legendary Lindsey Vonn skiing one last time on the world stage as the 2019 Ski World Championship has officially got underway after its opening ceremony in Are, Sweden.

The event is going to be the last big competition for Winter Olympics legend and two-time winner Vonn after she announced her decision to hang up her skis.

The Alpine World Ski Championships consists of a total of 11 different events, and there will be participants from more than 70 nations and regions participating.

Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. during the FIS World Ski Championships Women's Downhill Training in Are, Sweden, February 4, 2019. /VCG Photo

Special guests at the opening show were past Olympic and world champions Anja Parson from Sweden, legendary Aksel Lund Svindal from Norway and of course, Vonn from the U.S.

Parson, who won three world titles in Are in 2007, retired in 2012, while Svindal and Vonn announced that this year's world championship would be the last big event of their respective glittering careers.

Ahead of her much-anticipated swansong, Vonn said: “Yeah, I am excited. My last races will be here in Sweden, and I am actually of Norwegian heritage, so I feel at home here, so it's nice to end my career.”

Meanwhile, Parson, the 2006 Olympic slalom champion, said: “I am excited to see some races. Everybody asks me if I want to go up and race and I say I am going to be pretty comfortable down at the finish watching them race. For sure it will be a beautiful moment for me to come here and embrace all this atmosphere and I really hope everybody will enjoy.”

(Cover photo: Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. in action during the FIS World Ski Championships Women's Downhill Training in Are, Sweden, February 4, 2019 /VCG Photo)