Lindsey Vonn’s teammates confident she can compete at Olympics after ACL tear: “Definitely one of the toughest”

Cortina, Italy — Fellow Olympic U.S. alpine ski racers told CBS News Thursday that they believe their teammate Lindsey Vonn is still capable of competing in the Winter Olympics despite rupturing her left ACL during a downhill run last week.

“If anyone can come back from this, if anyone could do it, it’s Lindsey,” Isabella Wright told CBS News while a group of U.S. athletes trained Thursday at a gym in Cortina, Italy, after their practice run was canceled due to weather. 

The 41-year-old Vonn — a celebrated skier who mounted a career comeback after retiring in 2019 due to multiple injuries — crashed on Jan. 30 during a World Cup race in the Swiss Alps.

During a news conference Tuesday, she said she still plans to compete in the Olympics. Her first event, the women’s downhill, is scheduled for Sunday.

“I haven’t cried,” Vonn told reporters. “I haven’t deviated from my plan. Normally, in the past, there’s always a moment where you break down and you realize the severity of things and that your dreams are slipping through your fingers. But I didn’t have that this time. I’m not letting this slip through my fingers. I’m gonna do it. End of story.”

Vonn also posted a video to Instagram Thursday that showed her undergoing a workout with a brace around her left knee. 

Four years ago, teammate Breezy Johnson was in a similar predicament as Vonn when she ruptured her ACL a few weeks before the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and was forced to sit it out.

“So, in 2022, I ruptured my ACL in early January, and because the Olympics were coming up, I decided to try to keep skiing through it,” Johnson said. “It’s definitely risky. But I mean, if it’s your last games, and you know, already probably have a lot of knee damage, then there’s not that much to lose.”

Teammate Jacqueline Wiles, who has skied with Vonn before, described her as “definitely one of the toughest.”

“I think any time you’re injured, trying to fight through that injury while you’re still competing, while the season’s going on, it definitely can get in your head,” Wiles said. “But she’s been through it more than anyone.”

Vonn may be one of the oldest taking part in the Winter Olympics, but she’s surrounded by athletes who share the same goal.

“I think it’s really fun to have the mix of personalities, the mix of experience, and really just feed off of each other,” Wright said.