There is truly no stopping Lindsey Vonn.
The skier returned to the slopes on Friday, Feb. 6, for a training run ahead of the Olympic downhill, just one week after crashing and tearing her ACL. And other than a few slips off the course during the run, Vonn appeared to have no real issues.
“She’s unbelievable,” her coach, Aksel Lund Svindal, told NBC News. “So I really think that she can do this.”
Shaun White Says Lindsey Vonn Is A Legend
GettyDuring a broadcast for the 2026 Winter Olympics, legendary snowboarder Shaun White took a moment to praise Vonn for being able to compete despite such an intense injury.
“She’s a legend in her sport, and she has nothing to prove,” White said on the broadcast (per the New York Post). “But I just love the fact that she’s bringing that intensity to potentially her last Olympics.”
“You feel for her,” he added. “She’s had trouble with her knees before. She’s had surgeries to correct those injuries, and boom, another injury to the knee. But if anyone can do it, I feel that Lindsey can.”
The two were teammates on the U.S. team for the 2006, 2010, and 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Lindsey Vonn’s Injury Occured In Final Downhill Race Before The Olympics
On Friday, January 30, Vonn lost control while landing a jump in her final downhill race before the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, which sent her into the safety nets on the side. She received some medical attention, but was able to get up and walk off on her own. Vonn was clearing limp, keeping weight off her left knee by using her poles to keep steady.
Vonn ultimately clipped back into her skis and made it to the finish area, but had to stop a few times. From there, she was “airlifted from the course for medical checks.” The race was then canceled after Vonn’s crash, as three of the first six racers crashed.
She also released a statement on social media after the crash updating fans.
“This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics… but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback,” she wrote. “My Olympic dream is not over. Thank you for all of the love and support.”
“It’s not over until it’s over,” she concluded.
Afterwards, she revealed that it was a completely torn ACL, as well as a bone bruise and meniscal tears. But, she talked with doctors and said she will be competing in the Downhill race on Sunday.
