Secret Superheroes celebrates people who’ve overcome adversity, made amazing contributions to society, and inspired others to do the same. Each week we highlight exceptional people in different fields. This week we focus on Winter Sports!
Lindsey Vonn
Her career was filled with triumph - she’s the most successful female alpine racer of all time, and the first American woman to win a downhill Olympic gold - but it was also filled with injuries. Now Lindsey is looking to set the record straight with her new book, Rise, which documents the bizarre criticism she received for racing despite being injured. Having been labeled “dramatic” and even accused of faking, Lindsey is now asking: would a male athlete have been treated this way?
He's been described as “the Jackie Robinson of hockey”, but although Willie O’Ree was the first black player in the NHL, he had to wait a lot longer than Jackie Robinson for recognition as a pioneer. Willie’s last game for the Boston Bruins was more than 60 years ago, but it is only in recent times that his contributions as a player and an inspirational figurehead have been celebrated.
Cross-country skiing is traditionally the sole preserve of Europeans, but Jessie Diggins isn’t a traditional racer. She’s always the most sparkling competitor thanks to the glittery face paint she wears for every race, but she’s also a trailblazer, winning the USA's first-ever cross-country Olympic gold in 2018 and its first individual medal in 2022. Now she’s using her success to highlight the perils of eating disorders that have dogged her own career, and to campaign against climate change that threatens the sport she loves.
