Lindsey Vonn, the 41-year-old American skiing legend, completed her final training run on Saturday ahead of Sunday's women's downhill at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, despite a fully ruptured ACL in her left knee from a crash last week. The titanium-kneed athlete, who returned from nearly six years of retirement, insists she is ready to compete. Teammates and experts express confidence in her resilience.
Lindsey Vonn's path to the 2026 Winter Olympics has been marked by determination and adversity. Just over a week ago, on January 31, the 41-year-old from Vail, Colorado, crashed during a World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, suffering a complete ACL rupture in her left knee, along with bone bruising and meniscus damage. Despite requiring an airlift and medical advice to withdraw, Vonn opted to continue, showcasing her history of overcoming injuries on a knee that already features a partial titanium replacement from 2024.
Training sessions tested her resolve. Friday's run, delayed by fog and a crash, saw Vonn finish 11th overall with a time of 1:20.78 entering the final section, ranking third among 44 participants. On Saturday at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, she placed third in 1:38.28, trailing teammate Breezy Johnson's fastest time of 1:37.91 by 0.37 seconds. A slight knee buckle after a jump occurred, but Vonn showed no major issues, pumping her fist at the finish and praising Johnson's run.
"All good," Vonn told The Associated Press after Saturday's session, which was canceled midway due to fog and snow after 21 skiers completed it. Addressing doubts from a doctor on social media, she clarified: "My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday... It's 100% gone." Responding to an opinion piece on ageism, Vonn wrote on X: "This ageism stuff is getting old. I am a woman that loves to ski... And I'm going to go and do my best, ACL or no."
Mikaela Shiffrin, who broke Vonn's World Cup wins record, is eager: "I am so excited to watch. I think we all are." Teammate Isabella Wright added: "If anyone can come back from this, it's Lindsey." Experts note downhill's predictable movements allow compensation via strong muscles and a brace, unlike pivoting sports.
The race starts at 5:30 a.m. ET Sunday on the Olympia delle Tofane slope. Vonn, with 12 World Cup wins in Cortina and odds of +600 to medal, eyes gold in her final Olympics, potentially followed by Super-G on February 12. Her story has drawn global attention, prompting the IOC to adjust its media briefing.
