Shortly after breaking the record for women's Alpine skiing World Cup victories in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Monday (January 19) with a 63rd career race win, Lindsey Vonn spoke of the pressure which had lifted off her shoulders, having tied the record in the previous day's downhill.

"I feel a lot lighter," Vonn admitted. Her boyfriend Tiger Woods, meanwhile, was also feeling lighter - by one tooth.

His preternaturally pristine dentistry developed a sudden gap when he was knocked out by a swinging camera in the crush at the finish line, having turned up incognito - ish - for an intended surprise visit.

The United States' golfing legend - albeit ranked 43rd in the world at the time of writing - had watched the record-equalling effort on the internet from Florida before making a flying visit to see if Vonn could follow on. He turned up in the Italian Alps with a skull mask covering most of his face - although the surprise element fell a bit flat.

"I knew it was him immediately," Vonn said. "He loves that stupid mask."

As for the tooth - well, they say love hurts.

Tiger Woods supports his girlfriend Lindsey Vonn during her competition at Val d'Isere in December 2013 ©Getty Images

Shoot me down in flames if you don't agree, but I found something endearingly childish about Woods this week.

After Tiger Woods, Invincible Master, and then Tiger Woods, Incorrigible Womaniser, it was novel at least to see this version emerge on the Alpine slopes - Tiger Woods, Love- and Camera-struck Nerd.

While Vonn may have recognised her beloved straight away, she had certainly not been expecting him to be there. Woods had last seen her race in December 2013 in Val d'Isere, when she skied off course before ending her comeback bid for the Sochi 2014 Olympics following serious knee injuries.

"This is a much better memory [than Val d'Isere] that we can have forever," Vonn added.

Forever is a long time, however. Particularly for high profile sporting figures, as history records.

"Who cares?" is a cry one often hears - or rather sees - in response to such tales of twinned hearts. 'Let's get back to the real business in hand - the economy...'

But whenever two well-known figures get together, there is public interest. It's just a fact.

A lot of people care, even if they don't care deeply.

If only because of the phenomenon whereby TV viewers all over the world have invested hours of emotional energy in watching these sporting phenomenons in action, and feel a bit as if they know them.

Lindsey Vonn supports her boyfriend during the 2013 President's Cup competition
©Getty Images

Such sporting unions make a lot of sense given the common understanding both parties will have of the pressures to succeed in an increasingly prying world. That said, you can't help thinking there are some uniquely difficult inbuilt problems when legends collide in love.

"I'm sorry - did I just hear you ask the world's number one golfer to put out the bins?"

"Well pardon me, but if you'd noticed I do have the small matter of retaining a French Open title next week. We've discussed a million times how I have to listen to my body right now. And anyway you slipped to four..."

Well I've conducted a little survey of sporting couples in recent times, and I am now in a position to offer a short guide to what does and doesn't work when it comes to athletes and romance.

Rule 1. Golf and skiing go together well. Although golfers sometimes need to beware the ski slopes, as we have seen in the case of Tiger Woods.

And thinking about it, skiers sometimes need to beware golf courses - recalling Olympic champion Bode Miller's horrendous miscued tee-shot in 2012 which hit his wife, beach volleyball player Morgan Beck, in the eye: 50 stitches, but thankfully no lasting damage thanks to a pair of sunglasses.

Maybe we need a different Rule 1. Golf and tennis go together well. For instance, multiple Grand Slam tennis champion Chris Evert married not quite multiple golf Majors winner Greg Norman. And golf's world number one Rory McIlroy was an item with former world number one tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.

Former world No1 tennis player Caroline Wozniacki caddies for her boyfriend Rory McIlroy. But their planned marriage was later called off and they have split up
©Getty Images


But then Evert and Norman they got divorced after 15 months. And McIlroy and Wozniacki are no longer an item.

Alright, let's try another Rule 1. Always stick to your own sport.

So here we find happy tales.

Years ago, before Steffi Graf got married to fellow tennis champion Andre Agassi, someone shouted out to her during a match at Wimbledon: "Steffi! Will you marry me?" Upon which she shouted back, jestingly, "How much money have you got?"

It was funny then, and we can still laugh at it now, as both Graf and Agassi have oodles of money, much of which they direct towards charitable causes.

Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi play doubles in a charity exhibition match in 2011 ©AFP/Getty Images

Roger Federer is a doting husband to former tennis player Mirka Vavrinec, whom he met while they were competing for Switzerland at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. They now have twin boys, and twin girls.

But hang on. There's Chris Evert again. Romance with fellow US tennis player Jimmy Connors - very much the fellow. Then marriage to the English player, John Lloyd. Then divorce.

Athletics. What about that? Who could forget how Emil Zatopek, triple gold medallist at the 1952 Olympics, met his future wife Dana Zatopkova, the javelin gold medallist, at those Games.

And then, years later, there was the touching tale of retired British 400m hurdler Chris Rawlinson coaching his wife, Australia's Jana Pittman, to the 2006 Commonwealth and 2007 world 400m hurdles titles.

Chris Rawlinson congratulates his wife Jana Pittman after helping coach her to the Commonwealth 400m hurdles title in 2006 ©Getty Images

But by 2009 they had separated.

A year later, however, they re-married in England.

A year later, however, they were reported to have split again.

So there we have it. No Rule 1 after all.

Mike Rowbottom, one of Britain's most talented sportswriters, covered the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics as chief feature writer for insidethegames, having covered the previous five summer Games, and four winter Games, for The Independent. He has worked for the Daily Mail, The Times, The Observer, The Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian. His latest book Foul Play – the Dark Arts of Cheating in Sport (Bloomsbury £8.99) is available at the insidethegames.biz shop. To follow him on Twitter click here.