Lindsey Vonn prepares for Olympic downhill after torn ACL, brushing off doubts

Lindsey Vonn is set to take one more run at Olympic history on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026 (ET)—even after confirming she fully tore her ACL in a crash last week. The 41-year-old U.S. alpine icon, back for a final Olympics after a six-year retirement and a partial knee replacement, trained in Cortina d’Ampezzo and insisted she feels ready to race despite renewed questions about risk, recovery, and whether competing now is even possible.

Vonn’s stance has been consistent through the week: she returned because she loves skiing, and she considers simply reaching the start gate in Cortina a personal victory.

What happened to Vonn’s knee

Vonn said she completely ruptured her ACL in a crash during a downhill race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, one week before the Olympics began. She has also referenced additional knee trauma from the incident, including bruising and meniscus-related damage, though the ACL tear is the headline injury.

The injury immediately sparked debate because ACL ruptures are typically associated with instability—especially in sports that demand rapid edge changes, high-speed compression, and heavy landing forces. Vonn has countered that she can manage the knee with a brace and by leaning on experience, strength, and technique honed over decades.

A defiant response to outside skepticism

As Vonn trained in Cortina, online analysis from a prominent sports medicine commentator suggested the tear might have been chronic or pre-existing, implying her ability to ski so soon would be difficult to reconcile with a “fresh” rupture.

Vonn forcefully rejected that premise, stating her ACL had been fully functional before the crash and is now “100% gone.” The exchange became a flashpoint not because it changed her plan—she has continued training—but because it highlighted how closely her comeback is being scrutinized. For Vonn, the pushback also carried a familiar edge: the idea that her age makes the attempt inherently suspect.

Why Cortina matters so much to her

Vonn’s return has always been tied to Cortina d’Ampezzo, a venue she has described as special in her career. The Olimpia delle Tofane course is one of the sport’s marquee downhill tracks, and the setting has helped shape the emotional tone around her final push: this isn’t a generic comeback; it is a targeted last chapter.

In interviews ahead of Sunday’s race, Vonn has framed the moment as the payoff regardless of outcome—an insistence that her legacy isn’t at risk if the result doesn’t match her résumé. She’s already won the sport’s biggest prizes, and she is treating this as a chance to finish on her own terms.

Training signals and the immediate schedule

Vonn has been on snow in Cortina and posted a competitive training run, including an 11th-fastest time in one session, a sign she can still move at race pace despite the injury. Training results don’t guarantee medals—setups vary and athletes test different lines—but they do offer a baseline: she’s not simply participating.

Her Olympic schedule (ET):

• Women’s Downhill (medal event): Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026 — 5:30 AM ET

• Women’s Super-G (medal event): Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026 — 5:30 AM ET

The downhill is the centerpiece. It’s the discipline most closely associated with Vonn’s dominance, and it’s the event where her combination of fearlessness and technical control made her a global name.

The comeback context: retirement, surgery, and one more run

Vonn retired in 2019 after years of injuries, then underwent a partial knee replacement in 2024—a procedure rarely associated with elite downhill racing. Her return has therefore carried two layers of improbability: the sport’s normal wear-and-tear for a veteran racer, and the mechanical reality of coming back from major knee intervention.

This season, she has shown enough form to keep the story alive on merit, not nostalgia. That’s why the ACL tear has amplified the conversation so sharply: it collides with an already extraordinary comeback narrative and forces the simplest question—how far can determination bend the usual limits?

What to watch on Sunday morning

The downhill will likely hinge on visible stability cues: how aggressively Vonn can load the outside ski in high-speed turns, how confidently she absorbs terrain changes, and whether she can stay clean through compression zones where the knee takes punishing forces.

The other variable is strategy. A racer nursing a knee injury may choose a slightly safer line, but Cortina rewards commitment. The margin between “controlled” and “cautious” can be time lost that is difficult to recover.

If Vonn finishes strongly, the discussion will immediately shift from “should she be skiing?” to “how high can she climb on a course she knows better than almost anyone?” If she struggles, her comments suggest she is prepared to accept the outcome without regret.

Sources consulted: Reuters, Olympics.com, People, ABC News