Last week, three-time Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn crashed while competing in a World Cup downhill race in Switzerland. On Instagram, she shared that she had injured her knee and was waiting on her team of doctors for further information, though she maintained that she still hoped to compete in the Winter Olympics in Milan. On Tuesday, the 41-year-old announced at a press conference that she had, in fact, “completely” ruptured her ACL during the fall. Despite the severity of the injury, Vonn said she’s “still able to fight,” plans to compete in her downhill event as planned, and will decide at a later date if she is able to participate in the Super-G event. Assuming she competes as planned, Vonn will become the oldest female Alpine skier in Olympic history.
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Vonn is set to compete in less than a week, with her first event scheduled on Sunday and the Super-G the following Thursday. She told media on Tuesday that she’s “not in pain,” though the crash was a different story. “I had a feeling it was bad, but I held out hope until I saw the MRI in front of me,” she said. “But I have not cried; I have not deviated from my plan.”
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“I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate,” she added.
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Vonn retired in 2019 after sustaining several knee injuries during the World Championships in Åre, Sweden. But after a knee-replacement surgery in April 2024, she announced that she planned to return to skiing, and she resumed racing the following season. “I knew what my chances in these Olympics were before this crash, and even though my chances aren’t the same now, there is still a chance,” Vonn wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “And as long as I have a chance, I will not lose hope. I will not give up! It’s not over yet!”
