By Alan Baldwin
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Lindsey Vonn will try and race Sunday’s women’s downhill at the Milano Cortina Olympics despite a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), usually a season-ending knee injury, in what she hoped could yet be a comeback against all odds.
The 41-year-old U.S. Alpine ski great, and 2010 Olympic champion, revealed for the first time on Tuesday the full extent of her injuries and outlined what she might still achieve after a downhill crash in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
“Last Friday in the last World Cup, I completely ruptured my ACL,” the downhill World Cup leader told a packed press conference in her opening statement.
“I also have bone bruising, which is a common injury on the entire ACL, plus meniscal damage which we’re not sure if that was pre-existing or from a crash.
“But we have been doing extensive therapy and been consulting with doctors, been in the gym, and today I went skiing. And considering how my knee feels, it feels stable, I feel strong.”
The first of three official training sessions for the downhill starts on Thursday on Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Olimpia delle Tofane piste.
A torn ACL usually requires surgery with a recovery time of six to nine months.
ON EVERY DOWNHILL PODIUM SO FAR
Until Crans-Montana, a race that was cancelled after her crash due to the weather conditions, Vonn had stood on every downhill podium in a standout season following her 2024 comeback.
Winner of two races, with one second place and two thirds, the age and injury-defying American had made an Olympic comeback in Cortina — the favourite Italian resort where she had excelled in the past — her main target.
“My knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday,” continued Vonn, defiantly stating that it was not her first rodeo and not even the worst injury of her career.
“This is not, obviously, what I had hoped for. I’ve been working really hard to come into these Games in a much different position.
“I know what my chances were before the crash, and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today, but I know there’s still a chance. And as long as there’s a chance, I will try. So, that’s where I am.”
NO DECISION BEYOND THE DOWNHILL
Vonn said she would be taking it day-by-day and had yet to decide beyond the downhill.
The four-times overall World Cup champion started her comeback in 2024, after nearly six years out and following right knee replacement surgery. She injured the left knee in her latest crash.
Some were sceptical in 2024, even incredulous that she was risking so much, but Vonn proved the critics wrong with a sensational 2025-26 season.
“I’ve been through a lot, and this is another amazing chapter. I don’t know if it’s the best chapter, but it’s a pretty damn good comeback if I can pull it off,” she said.
“My goal is, obviously, right now, the downhill. I have to see how it feels. If it’s stable and I feel confident, I’ll continue to race. That is my goal, obviously.
“But I can’t tell you that answer until I actually ski maybe five miles an hour. And then I’ll tell you.”
The American had said before her crash that she felt super-G was actually her best discipline.
“I will not go home regretting not trying. I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate,” she added, explaining that she was holding her head high and no longer in pain.
“It was painful initially after the crash, which is why I had concern, which is why I went via helicopter to the hospital. I had a feeling it was bad, but I held out hope until I saw the MRI in front of me.
“But I haven’t cried. I have not deviated from my plan. I’ve been determined and normally in the past, there’s always a moment where you break down and you realise the severity of things and that your dreams are slipping through your fingers,” Vonn added.
“I didn’t have that this time. I’m not letting it slip through my fingers. I’m going to do it. End of story. “
(Additional reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Pritha Sarkar)
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