In an extraordinary display of athletic resilience, American skiing legend Lindsey Vonn has successfully completed her mandatory downhill training run at the Winter Olympics just seven days after sustaining a complete rupture of her left anterior cruciate ligament. The 41-year-old champion, who previously announced her devastating knee injury following a crash during the final World Cup race in Switzerland, navigated the challenging Olimpia delle Tofane course in Cortina with remarkable composure.
Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill gold medalist, posted a time of 1:44.33 during Thursday’s session, finishing 1.39 seconds behind the day’s fastest skier. The training run, initially scheduled for Thursday but postponed due to adverse weather conditions, faced significant delays owing to dense fog at the course’s summit. These challenging conditions resulted in numerous competitors missing gates on the softened slope surface.
The four-time world champion, competing with her injured knee supported by a protective brace, demonstrated aggressive technical precision to ensure she cleared all gates successfully. Following her run, Vonn exchanged a celebratory fist bump with compatriot Breezy Johnson before briefly confirming her satisfactory condition to officials.
Norwegian coach and double Olympic gold medalist Aksel Lund Svindal expressed confidence in Vonn’s medal prospects, stating: ‘From today’s performance, I believe she maintains competitive potential. Her technique appeared symmetrical, and she demonstrated reserved capacity. Given her proven ability to win when skiing well this season, she could potentially deliver medal-winning performance on Sunday.’
Vonn’s participation in Sunday’s downhill event became possible after completing this mandatory training session, though her availability for subsequent team and Super-G events on February 10th and 12th remains uncertain. The skiing icon has reported minimal swelling and pain, contributing to her confidence in competing despite the significant injury.
This remarkable comeback attempt follows Vonn’s retirement from professional skiing in 2019 and subsequent return to competition in December 2024 after undergoing partial replacement surgery on her right knee. Prior to her recent injury, she had been considered among the top favorites for gold in Cortina and currently leads the downhill World Cup standings.