Lindsey Vonn has confirmed she still intends to race for Team USA at the Winter Olympics despite battling through a major knee injury.
The American skiing legend’s hopes of competing in Italy were thrown into doubt last week when she was airlifted to hospital after a brutal crash in her final Alpine World Cup event.
Vonn, 41, lost control after landing a jump on the course in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, before skidding into the safety netting and rupturing her left ACL in the process.
Just a week out from the Games, she took to social media shortly after to defiantly insist that her Olympic dream was not over, saying: ‘If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback.’
And in a press conference from Cortina on Tuesday, Vonn said she is confident she can compete in her opening race Sunday with the help of a knee brace, after ‘completely rupturing’ her ACL while suffering bone bruising and meniscal damage.
‘We have been doing extensive therapy, consulting with doctors, been in the gym, and today I went skiing,’ she explained. ‘Considering how my knee feels, it feels stable, it feels strong.
Lindsey Vonn has confirmed she still intends to race for Team USA at the Winter Olympics
Vonn was airlifted to hospital just four days ago after rupturing her ACL in Switzerland
‘With the help of a knee brace, I’m confident I’ll be competing on Sunday.’
While she has been dealt a disastrous setback, Vonn stressed that she is remaining positive five days out from her Milan Cortina opener.
‘I’m not crying. My head is high,’ the USA great said. ‘I’m standing tall, I’m gonna do my best… can never say I didn’t try.’
‘I will do everything in my power to be in the starting gate,’ she added.
Vonn is one of the most decorated skiiers of all time and embarking on an incredible return to the sport heading into the Olympics.
She had made a stunning comeback last season at age 40 after nearly six years away from ski racing.
Competing with a partial titanium implant in her right knee, Vonn has been the circuit’s leading downhiller this season with two victories and three other podium finishes in the five races.
Her first Olympic race is the women’s downhill on February 8. She was also planning on competing in the super-G and the new team combined event at the Games.
