SR Staff Report
Alpine skiing legend Lindsey Vonn is stepping behind the camera to tell the story of her childhood hero and Olympic gold medallist Picabo Street.
The new documentary called PICABO will premiere on Jan. 21, and will be available to stream on Peacock in the United States and Olympics.com in the rest of the world ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
Vonn, now the most decorated female alpine skier of all time, first met Street at age nine at an autograph signing at ski shop in Minnesota. It was that encounter that sparked her desire to become an Olympian.
“Picabo’s personality and her ability to connect with me as a child was what made me a fan,” says Vonn. “She was authentic and confident, exactly what I wanted to be.”
Now, she’s prepared to ‘finally return the favor,’ with the first career-spanning film chronicling the life of Street, an alpine skiing icon of the 1990s.
Olympic success, injuries and arrest
From Street’s unorthodox childhood upbringing in rural Idaho to her Olympic successes, dramatic recoveries from ill-timed injuries and her arrest in 2015 due to false allegations, PICABO provides an intimate look at Street’s fascinating life through an emotional interview with Vonn and unprecedented behind-the-scenes footage of Street’s life.
“I’m excited for people to learn how Picabo became Picabo. Everyone knows the well-spoken, charismatic downhill skier but no one knows entirely what she went through to get to where she did,” adds Vonn in an Olympics.com exclusive interview. “She broke so many glass ceilings so that women like me could achieve our dreams.”
Then there’s the matter of Vonn’s co-director, Frank Marshall. The veteran Hollywood producer has worked on some of the biggest films in history, including the Indiana Jones, “Back to the Future,” “Jurassic Park”, and Jason Bourne franchises.
“I’ve been a big fan of Peek since I met her in 1996,” says Marshall, who was once a vice president of the U.S. Olympic Committee. “Her desire to give back, her enthusiasm and positive energy to overcome obstacles in life makes her a great role model. And who better than Lindsey to tell the story with, sitting there across from her, as someone who can relate and then some. It’s a story of friendship, mentorship and passing the baton.”
PICABO is part of the Olympic Channel’s signature Five Rings Films collection, a series of incisive and entertaining feature-length documentaries directed by some of the biggest names in film from around the world. Previous titles include “The Nagano Tapes,” “Rulon,” and “The Distance,” released ahead of Tokyo 2020. Five Rings Films is produced exclusively for the International Olympic Committee by executive producers Marshall and Mandalay Sports Media’s Mike Tollin, whose recent credits include “The Last Dance.” Greg Groggel serves as executive producer for the Olympic Channel.
“I hope viewers will see that dreams can come true, no matter where you come from,” adds Marshall. “If you have the right vision, focus, discipline, and dedication, you can overcome even the greatest obstacles, both personal and physical.”
According to Street, the motivation for participating in the film, which she describes as a “life-changing experience,” is more straightforward: her three young boys.
“I would like them to know and understand who their Mom really was!”
Starting Jan. 21, they will.
This story comes courtesy of our friends at Olympics.com.
