Cortina, Italy — U.S. alpine teammates say they still expect Lindsey Vonn to race at the Winter Olympics despite rupturing her left ACL during a World Cup downhill on Jan. 30 in the Swiss Alps. Vonn, 41, who returned from retirement in 2019 after a string of injuries, has publicly maintained she intends to compete in her first scheduled event, the women’s downhill on Sunday.
Training plans were altered Thursday when weather canceled a team practice, and several U.S. athletes instead worked out together in a Cortina gym. “If anyone can come back from this, if anyone could do it, it’s Lindsey,” said Isabella Wright, reflecting the mood among teammates gathered after the canceled session.
At a news conference earlier this week, Vonn said she has not let the injury derail her focus. “I haven’t cried,” she told reporters, adding that she hasn’t deviated from her plan and is determined to race. She also posted a video to Instagram showing herself exercising while wearing a brace on her left knee.
Teammates pointed to recent examples and Vonn’s history of fighting through injuries as reasons for confidence. Breezy Johnson, who ruptured her ACL a few weeks before the 2022 Winter Olympics and was forced to sit out Beijing, said she understands the pressure and the willingness some athletes have to push through: “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. It’s definitely risky. But I mean, if it’s your last games, and you 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,” noting that dealing with injury during a competitive season can be as much a mental battle as a physical one. Teammates said the mix of veteran experience and different personalities on the squad has been a source of support. “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.
Vonn’s determination, combined with teammates’ encouragement and her visible rehab work, has shaped an atmosphere of cautious optimism as the team prepares for competition. Kerry Breen contributed to this report.