Lindsey Vonn Announces She Will Still Compete In Winter Olympics Despite Torn ACL

Three-time Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn announced Tuesday morning that she suffered a completely torn ACL when she crashed during a race on Friday. Vonn’s Olympic hopes are not over despite the injury, as she still intends to compete during the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.

The injury happened during a World Cup race in Switzerland. “It was painful initially after the crash,” Vonn said during her press conference. Vonn also said that currently she feels no pain.

Vonn, 41, plans to test her knee in practice over the next couple of days and fully intends to compete in the downhill race this Sunday. If all goes well, she will take part in the Super-G event next Thursday. If Vonn can compete, she will become the oldest Alpine skier in Winter Olympic history.

“I built an amazing life and was really happy in retirement, but I didn’t finish my career the way I wanted to. I was limping away when I wanted to finish strong,” Vonn said. She wants to go out on her terms and will not let a torn ACL get in the way of finishing her story.

If Vonn can race on Sunday, it will go down as one of the most admirable and impressive feats in all of sports history.