Lindsey Vonn clapped back at an online critic who suggested her Olympic miracle wasn’t that impressive.
Vonn confirmed on Tuesday that she is ploughing on with her Olympic comeback at the age of 41, despite tearing her ACL just one week before the Winter games kicking off in Milan-Cortina.
The American’s bounce back from the horror crash at Crans-Montana in Switzerland stunned fans ahead of the sporting extravaganza.
However, one medical expert appeared to suggest that Vonn, who won downhill gold in 2010, was exaggerating her injury.
Brian Sutterer, a sports medicine doctor, took to X to question the state of Vonn’s cruciate ligament – whether it was fully intact – ahead of her crash at the FIS World Cup downhill event.
‘What she is doing now would not be nearly as surprising in an elite athlete whose knee was already functioning like the ACL was torn at baseline,’ Stutterer.
Lindsey Vonn clapped back at a critic who suggested her Olympic miracle wasn’t impressive
The American is ploughing on with her Olympic comeback, despite tearing her ACL
‘When you hear stories about “so and so played for years on a torn ACL”, that’s chronic, meaning the body has time to adapt and retrain muscles to support the knee.
‘Also, someone who had a prior tear/surgery may not be as swollen and painful with a repeat injury.
‘Bottom line, I don’t think this was a bread and butter, fresh ACL tear like everyone is thinking.’
However, Vonn was quick to fire back at the doctor as she swiftly shut down Stutterer’s claims.
‘lol thanks doc,’ Vonn sarcastically replied on the social media platform.
‘My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday. Just because it seems impossible to you doesn’t mean it’s not possible. And yes, my ACL is 100% ruptured. Not 80% or 50%. It’s 100% gone.’
Vonn, who ended a five-year retirement in 2024, confirmed the extent of her injury last week before insisting in a press conference earlier this week that it would not be standing in the way of her shot at gold.
‘I know what my chances were before the crash and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today,’ she said.
The 41-year-old completed a training run down the Olimpia delle Tofane course on Friday
‘But I know there’s still a chance, and as long as there’s a chance, I will try.’
Vonn is able to compete with a large brace on her knee to provide extra support in spite of such a serious injury.
And the brace appeared to do its job on Friday when Vonn completed a training run down the Olimpia delle Tofane course just two days before she is set to compete for a medal.
Midway down the course, Vonn went wide – forcing her to correct and only barely clearing the gate. Her line forced another close call at the following gate as well.
At the end of the training run, Vonn placed 11th among the 47 competitors. She was the third best American behind sixth-place Wyomingnative Breezy Johnson and Oregon’s Jacqueline Wiles, who finished with the best time of the day of 1:38.94.
A curt Vonn was asked by the Associated Press if the run went well. ‘Yep,’ was her reply.
