Lindsey Vonn Isn’t Backing Down — Even As Injury and Snow Delay Olympic Return

Olympian Lindsey Vonn has never waited quietly for anything, and the road to Milan Cortina is no exception.

Heavy snowfall forced organizers to cancel the first women’s downhill training session at the Winter Olympics Thursday, delaying the American skiing icon’s first on-snow test since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee. The cancellation meant Vonn, 41, had to wait until Friday before officially training in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she is determined to compete despite the injury.

Officials are eyeing the weather closely as they schedule downhill training runs before the women’s alpine skiing program opens Sunday.

Vonn confirmed earlier this week that she intends to race for medals despite injuring her knee during a crash at the World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana. After landing awkwardly off a jump, she slammed into safety netting and was later airlifted to a hospital for evaluation, a standard protocol following high-speed crashes. The rest of that day’s racing was canceled due to poor visibility.

The setback comes just over a year after Vonn underwent partial knee replacement surgery on her right knee, a procedure that initially ended her career before she mounted a stunning comeback last season. She officially returned to competition in November 2024 and currently leads the World Cup downhill standings, putting her in medal contention heading into the Olympics.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jason Snibbe, who specializes in treating elite athletes and serves as the official orthopedic consultant for the Los Angeles Clippers, Lakers, Sparks, and Angels, said Vonn’s resilience puts her in a rare category. Snibbe, who was not involved in Vonn’s treatment, is also widely known for treating high-profile figures such as Kris Jenner — whose hip replacement was featured on “The Kardashians” — as well as Melanie Griffith, Kate Beckinsale, Belinda Carlisle, and Molly Sims.

“Lindsey Vonn is a true inspiration and has an incredible drive,” Snibbe says. “She has come back from a partial knee replacement and has put herself in the best shape of her life. Now she has to deal with a new ACL injury in the other knee. In my opinion, she will be able to compete with this injury because she is incredibly strong mentally and physically. By putting in the time to build her core and her leg strength, this has allowed her to overcome this injury and compete in the Winter Olympics.”

Vonn echoed that confidence herself, telling reporters that her focus remains squarely on Sunday’s downhill. While she has not committed to racing all three events — downhill, super-G, and the combined team competition — she said she will continue evaluating her knee daily with her medical team.

“I will still need to do one training run, as is required to race on Sunday, but… I am confident in my body’s ability to perform,” Vonn wrote on Instagram. “Despite my injuries my knee is stable, I do not have swelling and my muscles are firing and reacting as they should.”

She successfully completed that training run Friday. Her coach, Chris Knight, also expressed confidence in her ability to compete, saying he has “no doubts” she can still pull off her Olympic goal.

If Vonn reaches the podium in Cortina, she would break her own record as the oldest woman to medal in Olympic downhill skiing, a mark she set in 2018. It would also serve as a dramatic bookend to a career defined by comebacks.

Asked at a press conference on Tuesday where such a result would rank among her many returns, Vonn didn’t hesitate. “This would be the best comeback I’ve done so far,” she said. “Definitely the most dramatic.”