Vonn has ruptured ACL but will compete at Olympics

American downhill skier Lindsey Vonn says she has ruptured her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) but is still "very hopeful" she can compete at the Winter Olympics in Italy.

The 41-year-old was airlifted to hospital in Switzerland on Friday after crashing in the final World Cup race before the Games.

The former Olympic champion said her knee feels "stable, strong and is not swollen" and she feels "confident" she will make the women's downhill event in Cortina on Sunday.

"This is obviously not what I hoped for. I have been working really hard to come into these Games in a much different position," she said in a media conference on Tuesday.

"I know what my chances were before the crash and I know that my chances aren't the same as it stands now, but I know there is still a chance.

"As long as there is a chance, I'll try. That's where I am."

The four-time world champion retired from the sport in 2019 but made a stunning comeback in December 2024 following a partial replacement of her right knee.

She arrived in Cortina at the top of the World Cup downhill standings, with two race wins and three more podium finishes, and as one of the favourites for the gold medal.

But the injury casts doubt over whether she will be able to compete and Vonn admitted just reaching the start gate on Sunday would be "a pretty good comeback if I can pull it off".

"This is not an unknown for me, I've done this before. I wish I wasn't in this position but I am and I will do my best," she said.

"I will not go home regretting not trying, I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate."

Vonn said she skied in Cortina on Tuesday and her knee felt good with no pain, but added she will not know for certain how she feels until she skis the downhill course.

"I know what my knee has felt like with previous injuries in the gym and what it has felt like in all the physical tests, and I can say that I feel a lot better right now than I have in the past," she said.

She added she will take things "day by day" and does not know if she will be able to compete in the team and Super-G events, which take place on 10 and 12 February respectively.

Vonn was skiing in the downhill event at the Alpine Ski World Cup in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday when she lost control coming out of a jump.

She says along with the ACL tear she also has bruising and meniscus damage.

The event was eventually cancelled because of adverse weather conditions, with Vonn the third skier to crash.

Vonn's illustrious career, which includes one Olympic gold medal and two bronze, has been plagued by injury but she is undaunted by her task in Cortina being made more difficult.

"I am a week away for something I never thought was possible. This is all icing on the cake. I never expected to be here," she said.

"I felt like this was an amazing opportunity to close out my career in a way that I wanted to - it hasn't gone exactly the way I wanted it to but I don't want any regrets.

"I am going to do it, end of story. I am not letting myself go down that path - I am not crying, my head is high, I'm standing tall and I'm going to do my best and whatever the result is, that is what it is."

Chemmy Alcott, four-time Team GB Olympic skier

If this was anyone else it would be a story of disaster. But Lindsey is still offering us an immense amount of hope.

We have seen people race with an ACL injury before, but have we seen people win an Olympic medal at 85mph? No.

It's very important that people know that the fact Lindsey is doing this doesn't mean that any other person can go out there and take the kind of risk she's doing.

For anyone else it would be absolutely off the charts. But no-one else is Lindsey Vonn.

She is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of athlete shooting for a once-in-a-lifetime gold. Right now, she's relying on the fact that mentally she is so strong.

You can not underestimate her want for this Olympic gold medal on a track that she's had so much success on. She has proved us all wrong so many times before but this really is the tip of the iceberg.

The reason she is able to do it is because physically she doesn't have swelling on that knee.

I am all for it, I cannot wait to be there to support this wonderful athlete who is just always showing us that nothing can beat her down.