Lindsey Vonn Clears Critical Hurdle With Successful Training Run One Week After Completely Rupturing ACL

Lindsey Vonn cleared a major hurdle toward competing in Sunday's Olympic women's downhill with a successful training run in Cortina on Friday, exactly one week after she completely ruptured the ACL in her left knee. Wearing a protective brace on her left knee, the 41-year-old American legend navigated the treacherous Olympia delle Tofane slope in 1 minute, 40.33 seconds, finishing 11th out of 43 competitors who completed the required training session. The run was not merely a test of Vonn's injured knee but a mandatory requirement - without completing at least one official training session, she would be ineligible to compete for what could be her fourth Olympic medal, sixteen years after capturing gold in Vancouver. Vonn suffered the devastating injury last week during a crash in Switzerland, completely rupturing her ACL along with sustaining a bone bruise and meniscus damage in her left knee. The severity of the injury led many observers to assume her Olympic dreams were finished, but Vonn immediately began an intensive rehabilitation program and expressed determination to compete despite the damage. Medical experts have noted the extreme rarity of an athlete attempting to ski competitively just days after such a catastrophic knee injury, with most ACL tears requiring surgical reconstruction and months of recovery time. At a press conference on Tuesday, Vonn told reporters she had completed practice runs while wearing a knee brace and felt confident she could compete when the downhill competition begins on February 8. "I know people think I'm crazy, but I've worked too hard and come too far to give up now," Vonn said. "As long as there's a chance, I will try. The brace provides stability, and I trust my training and my body. This is likely my last Olympics, and I want to leave everything on the mountain." Her comments reflected both her legendary mental toughness and the high stakes of her comeback attempt at Milano Cortina 2026. Friday's training run represented Vonn's first test on Olympic snow since the injury, and skiing experts watched closely to assess whether she could navigate the demanding course at competitive speeds. The Olympia delle Tofane track in Cortina is considered one of the most challenging downhill courses in the world, featuring high-speed sections, technical turns, and significant jumps that place enormous stress on a skier's knees. Vonn's ability to complete the course without incident or visible difficulty was viewed as a promising sign, though questions remain about whether she can push the limits required to contend for a medal. Vonn's Olympic career spans two decades and includes three medals: gold in the downhill at Vancouver 2010, plus bronze medals in the downhill and super-G at PyeongChang 2018. She initially retired from competitive skiing in 2019 due to persistent knee injuries but announced a comeback in late 2024, driven by improved knee health and a desire to compete one final time on the sport's biggest stage. Sunday's downhill will reveal whether her remarkable pain tolerance and determination can overcome the significant medical obstacles she faces, adding another extraordinary chapter to one of alpine skiing's most storied careers.