Lindsey Vonn to compete at Winter Olympics with a torn ACL

Nothing will stop Lindsey Vonn from completing her comeback at the Olympic Games. The American made that clear on Tuesday at a press conference in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she shared the results of the medical tests she underwent after a hard fall in Crans-Montana over the weekend that required her to be airlifted to a hospital. The tests revealed a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, the one that has given her the fewest problems throughout her career, which, she assured, will not keep her from what will be her fifth Games at 41 years old.

“I had a feeling it was going to be serious, but I stayed hopeful until I got the MRI results. I haven’t cried. I know what my options were before the accident and I know they aren’t the same now, but there’s still one, and as long as I have it, I’ll try,” explained Lindsey, who intends to compete in everything she had planned before the accident.

“That’s my goal. I can’t say for sure until I do a downhill workout and see how I’m doing. Normally, in situations like this, the knee is fine until it isn’t. I have to be very careful with everything we do and see how it holds up. I’ll go as far as I can,” the Minnesotan declared, in a testament to her resilience. Her plans involve testing herself in Thursday’s training session. If all goes well, she’ll be in the downhill on Sunday the 8th, and based on what happens in that run, she’ll decide whether to participate in the team combined and the super-G.

“I’m still here. I believe I can still fight. I can try. And I’ll try as long as I can; I won’t go home regretting not having tried. I’ll do everything in my power to be at the starting gate,” concluded the athlete who came out of retirement when medical advances allowed her to reconstruct her right knee, and last December added her 83rd World Cup victory. Twenty-four years after her first Olympic appearance, with a string of injuries in between, she doesn’t seem willing to let a torn ACL derail her inspiring story. A circle that can only be fully completed by lacing up her skis on the snowy slopes of Cortina d’Ampezzo. And Vonn knows it well.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.