The Queen of Never Give Up is finally saying “I’m done.”

Lindsey Vonn’s last downhill race is Sunday. On Tuesday, she took a nasty spill. “If adversity makes you stronger I think I’m the Hulk at this point…” she later tweeted.

No woman in history has more World Cup alpine skiing victories (82). Over four Winter Olympics (starting in 2002), she brought home three medals. She notched 20 World Cup titles. While alpine skiing emerges from obscurity only once every four years, Ms. Vonn became an A-list celebrity (with 1.3 million Facebook followers). She rebounded from major injuries so often that her career became defined as much by her grit and resilience as by her victories.

She leaves the sport just four wins short of the downhill record set by Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark.  “Honestly, retiring isn’t what upsets me,” wrote Vonn, announcing her exit. “Retiring without reaching my goal is what will stay with me forever. However, I can look back ... and say that I have accomplished something that no other woman in HISTORY has ever done....

“I always say, ‘Never give up!’ So to all ... my fans who have sent me messages of encouragement to keep going … I need to tell you that I’m not giving up! I’m just starting a new chapter.”

Thanks, Lindsey Vonn, for many inspiring chapters. We’ll look forward to the next.

Now to our five selected stories, including looks at the effectiveness of gender equality in government, teaching racial justice with outdated novels, and Russia’s perspective on a 1987 nuclear missile treaty.