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Crans-Montana, Switzerland – American skiing icon Lindsey Vonn is still aiming to compete in the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter olympics despite suffering a knee injury in a crash during a World Cup downhill race on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Olympic Dreams Remain Alive After Swiss Crash
Despite a painful knee injury adn sitting out Saturday’s super-G race, Vonn is determined to compete in Italy.
- Vonn, 41, injured her left knee after losing control on a jump and spinning into the safety netting.
- She announced on Instagram she would miss Saturday’s super-G race but remains optimistic about her Olympic participation.
- Vonn is scheduled for further examination of her knee but is focused on a comeback.
- This injury comes after Vonn’s remarkable return to skiing following a partial right knee replacement.
Vonn posted about her inability to compete in Saturday’s super-G race in a post on Instagram, writing, “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to race today… wishing all my teammates a great race.” She expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support, adding, “thank you for all of the love and support I have received. Means the world to me. Doing my best right now.”
What kind of injury did Lindsey Vonn sustain? Vonn injured her left knee when she lost control after landing a jump on the upper portion of the course, spinning into the safety netting amid snowy and low-visibility conditions. She was the sixth skier to start, and the race had already seen multiple crashes before her run.
After receiving initial medical attention on the slope,Vonn managed to ski down to the finish area,visibly favoring her left knee and relying on her poles for support. She paused several times during the descent,clearly in discomfort. The race was ultimately canceled following the series of incidents.
Vonn revealed on Friday that she was scheduled for further examination of her knee, but remained optimistic, stating, “My Olympic dream is not over.” In an Instagram post, she wrote, “I am discussing the situation with my doctors and team and will continue to undergo further exams. This is a very arduous outcome one week before the Olympics, but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback.”
At the base of the course, Vonn shared an embrace with teammate Jacqueline Wiles before entering a medical tent. She was than transported by helicopter-a standard procedure at mountain races-for further evaluation,as confirmed by the U.S. Ski Team.
“She has some pain so it’s better to have some checks,” Aksel Lund Svindal, a two-time Olympic champion and member of Vonn’s coaching team, told Reuters. “The physio did some checks, they seemed OK, but there were things he was not 100% sure so it was good to have it checked (at the hospital).”
The crash occurred just one week before the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Games, where Vonn is anticipated to be a prominent figure. Her first scheduled event is the women’s downhill, two days after the ceremony, with plans to also compete in super-G and the team combined event.
Vonn’s return to skiing has been a remarkable story. She retired in 2019 due to the cumulative effects of injuries, but made a comeback following a partial right knee replacement in April 2024. Now skiing with a titanium implant, she has excelled in the downhill circuit this season, securing two wins and consistently finishing on the podium, currently leading the discipline standings.
Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Olympic venue for women’s alpine skiing, holds a special place in Vonn’s career, having hosted 12 of her 84 world Cup victories.
However, Friday’s
