Lindsey Vonn plans to ski in Olympics on torn ACL: 'As long as there's a chance, I will try'

Lindsey Vonn announced Tuesday that she "completely ruptured" her ACL, along with suffering a bone bruise and meniscus damage in her left knee following a crash in Switzerland , but still plans to compete at the Milan Cortina Olympics. 

Vonn held a press conference Tuesday and told reporters she completed practice runs while wearing a knee brace and felt confident she would be able to ski when the downhill competition starts on February 8. 

"Considering how my knee feels," Vonn said, "I feel stable, I feel strong, my knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday."

Vonn was not alone in crashing at the event in Switzerland last week, as Austria's Nina Ortlieb and Norway's Marte Monsen also failed to successfully navigate the course. Those crashes caused the event to be canceled after Vonn and five others struggled with difficult conditions and poor visibility. 

Vonn retired in 2019 due to various injuries, but after getting a partial knee replacement in her right knee, she decided to return to the slopes to make one last Olympic run. Vonn has one Olympic gold medal (2010 downhill) and a pair of bronze medals in the Super G (2010, 2018), and came in as a surprising favorite in the downhill and a threat to podium in both disciplines. 

Her comeback has been a stunning story, as she entered the Olympics leading in points in the women's downhill -- including two wins -- and has two podium finishes in the Super G. That made the timing of her crash so devastating, but Vonn insists she won't let that crash end her story. 

That Vonn is able to get on skis and complete practice runs on a torn ACL seems like a minor miracle, but there is a difference in the intensity of practice runs and competition. Vonn noted that the injury severely diminishes her chances.

"This is not, obviously, what I had hoped for," Vonn said. "I've been working really hard to come into these Games in a much different position. I know what my chances were before the crash, and I know my chances aren't the same as it stands today. But I know there's still a chance, and as long as there's a chance, I will try."

Now 41 years old, Vonn knew all along this was likely her final Olympics. With the understanding that going through another grueling rehab from knee surgery and waiting four more years for the 2030 Olympics at 45 years old likely wasn't in the cards, Vonn is somewhat defiantly pushing through her current injury for one more shot at Olympic glory. 

"I'm not letting this slip through my fingers," Vonn said. "I'm going to do it. End of story."

Vonn's first race will be on Sunday, February 8 in the downhill, with the Super G competition on Thursday, February 12.