Lindsey Vonn has confirmed she will start Sunday's Olympic downhill despite a complete anterior cruciate ligament tear sustained in a training crash last Friday at Crans-Montana. The 41-year-old American, already competing with a partial titanium knee replacement, wore a brace during yesterday's second training run in Cortina.
Austrian medical experts quoted in Kronen Zeitung warned of unprecedented risk levels in competitive skiing. The ACL provides crucial knee stability during the high-G turns of downhill racing; skiing without one functional ligament while relying on a brace and artificial joint has never been attempted at this level.
Vonn last won Olympic gold in Vancouver 2010. She retired in 2019 after a career plagued by knee injuries, then stunned the sport by returning last year. A medal in Cortina would rank among the greatest comeback stories in Olympic history. A catastrophic failure on the Olympia delle Tofane would be very public indeed.
Meanwhile, the course itself faces pressure: construction crews are still working on the Tofane piste just days before the women's races begin. La Stampa published video showing ongoing preparations. Heavy snowfall has already cancelled the first women's training session, and Swiss media report further weather concerns for the weekend.