Lindsey Vonn confirmed Tuesday that she will move ahead with plans to compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, even after suffering a serious injury to her left knee during a crash last week in Switzerland.
The injury occurred during a World Cup downhill race in Crans-Montana, where Vonn lost control on a jump and slid into safety fencing. Other competitors also crashed earlier in the day, and the event was eventually called off due to poor visibility and challenging course conditions.
Medical scans revealed that Vonn, 41, fully tore her ACL and also sustained bone bruising and meniscus damage. Despite the diagnosis, she returned to the slopes after several days of treatment and said she felt capable of racing with the support of a knee brace. Vonn said, “Considering how my knee feels, I feel stable, I feel strong, my knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday.”
Vonn acknowledged that the setback has reduced her chances of contending for medals but said she is unwilling to walk away from what she expects to be her final Olympic appearance: “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 … 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 haven’t deviated from my plan. Normally, in the past, there’s always a moment where you break down and you realize the severity of things and that your dreams are slipping through your fingers. But I didn’t have that this time. I’m not letting this slip through my fingers. I’m gonna do it. End of story.”
Vonn plans to race in the women’s downhill on Sunday, Feb. 8, followed by the Super-G on Feb. 12, and had also intended to compete in the team combined event. She said she completed training runs earlier this week and felt encouraged by how her knee responded. If she reaches the podium in Italy, Vonn would become the oldest alpine skier to medal at the Winter Olympics. She already owns three Olympic medals — gold in downhill and bronze in Super-G in 2010, plus a downhill bronze in 2018 — and holds the World Cup record with 12 wins in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where the Olympic races will take place.
The comeback adds another chapter to one of the most decorated careers in alpine skiing. Vonn returned to competition after retiring in 2019 and now races with titanium implants in her right knee. This season, she has been the top performer in women’s downhill, earning multiple victories and podium finishes, and has also placed consistently in Super-G events. “This would be the best comeback I’ve done so far,” Vonn said. “Definitely the most dramatic.”
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