US Skiing Star Lindsey Vonn Will Compete in Winter Olympics Despite Recently Tearing ACL

United States’ Lindsey Vonn attends a press conference by the U.S. ski team at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

American skiing star Lindsey Vonn will compete in her final Winter Olympic Games despite recently tearing her ACL at another event.

The 41-year-old was competing in the Alpine Ski World Cup in Switzerland on Friday when she took a hard crash in the safety netting. She was eventually airlifted to a nearby hospital, and it was later discovered she tore the ligament in her knee. The 2026 games in and around Milan are expected to be her last, and professional athletes typically take close to a year to recover from ACL tears.

Vonn, however, intends to ski through it. According to a report from NBC, she told the media on Tuesday that she still plans on competing for a chance at Olympic gold. The report continued:

The Olympic champion said she can’t walk away from this chance in what would surely be her last Games.

“I am not letting this slip through my fingers,” she said. “I’m not crying. My head is high, I’m standing tall and I’m going to do my best and whatever the result is.”

The swelling is down and she’s not in any pain, Vonn said.

“I have to take it day-by-day. My goal is obviously right now the downhill,” she said.

“I have to see how it feels. If it’s stable and I feel confident, I’ll continue to race. That is my goal, obviously, but I can’t tell you that answer until I actually ski 80 mph and then I’ll tell you.”

As noted in the report, a previous knee injury led to Vonn’s initial retirement in 2019. Five years later, she announced her comeback after a knee replacement surgery helped her return to form.

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