By Seth Doane
February 5, 2026 / 8:50 PM EST
CBS News
Cortina, Italy — Fellow U.S. Olympic alpine ski racers told CBS News Thursday they believe teammate Lindsey Vonn can still compete in the Winter Olympics despite rupturing her left ACL during a downhill run last week.
“If anyone can come back from this, if anyone could do it, it’s Lindsey,” Isabella Wright said as a group of U.S. athletes trained at a gym in Cortina after their practice run was canceled due to weather.
The 41-year-old Vonn — who mounted a comeback after retiring in 2019 because of multiple injuries — crashed on Jan. 30 during a World Cup race in the Swiss Alps. At a news conference Tuesday she said she still plans to compete in the Olympics. Her first event, the women’s downhill, is scheduled for Sunday.
“I haven’t cried,” Vonn told reporters. “I haven’t deviated from my plan. Normally, in the past, there’s always a moment where you break down and you realize the severity of things and that your dreams are slipping through your fingers. But I didn’t have that this time. I’m not letting this slip through my fingers. I’m gonna do it. End of story.”
Vonn also posted a video to Instagram Thursday showing her working out with a brace on her left knee.
Four years ago, teammate Breezy Johnson ruptured her ACL a few weeks before the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and was forced to sit out. “So, in 2022, I ruptured my ACL in early January, and because the Olympics were coming up, I decided to try to keep skiing through it,” Johnson said. “It’s definitely risky. But I mean, if it’s your last games, and you know, already probably have a lot of knee damage, then there’s not that much to lose.”
Jacqueline Wiles, who has skied with Vonn, described her as “definitely one of the toughest.” “I think any time you’re injured, trying to fight through that injury while you’re still competing, while the season’s going on, it definitely can get in your head,” Wiles said. “But she’s been through it more than anyone.”
Vonn may be one of the oldest athletes at the Winter Olympics, but teammates said the mix of personalities and experience helps. “I think it’s really fun to have the mix of personalities, the mix of experience, and really just feed off of each other,” Wright said.
Kerry Breen contributed to this report.