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Lindsey Vonn pays touching tribute to grandfather in South Korea

Vonn said Thursday she scattered her late grandfather's ashes on a rock near the mountain where the men's Olympic downhill was held.
Bronze medallist Lindsey Vonn of the United States celebrates during the medal ceremony for the Ladies' Downhill during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Medal Plaza on February 21, 2018.

Skiier Lindsey Vonn will return from the Winter Olympics with another medal, but she'll leave something else important behind.

Vonn said Thursday she scattered her late grandfather's ashes on a rock near the mountain where the men's Olympic downhill was held.

"I know that it would mean a lot to him to be back here, a part of him is in South Korea always," Vonn told The Associated Press and the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.

WATCH: What's next for Lindsey Vonn after PyeongChang Olympics

Don Kildow was a Korean War veteran and his memory caused Vonn to break into tears when she was asked about him at a news conference in Pyeongchang earlier this month.

A gold and bronze medalist at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Vonn won a bronze this year in the women's downhill, and was leading after the downhill portion of Thursday's Alpine combined before skiing off course in what likely was her last Olympic appearance.

WATCH: Lindsey Vonn jokes about never having to race slalom again

"To be able to race for him in these Olympics was very special for me. And I tried everything I could to win for him," Vonn said. "I got a bronze, which, you know, to me was very special. And I think he would be proud of that."

Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner

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