MILAN — Despite suffering a devastating injury ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, the emotions haven’t hit Lindsey Vonn.
The decorated Alpine ski racer still plans to compete in her fifth (and final) Olympic Games, even after tearing the ACL in her left knee in a downhill crash on Jan. 30. At a news conference on Tuesday, she shared her initial thoughts when the injury happened, when she learned the diagnosis — and a startling revelation.
‘I had a feeling it was bad,’ Vonn said. ‘I held out hope until I saw the MRI in front of me.
‘But I haven’t cried,’ she added.
Vonn explained she’s been able to keep it together because she has been determined to execute her plan of finishing off her Olympic career on her terms, rather than letting the emotions get the best of her.
‘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,’ she said. ‘I didn’t have that this time. I’m not letting this slip through my fingers. I’m gonna do it, end of story. So I’m not letting myself go down that path. I’m not crying. My head is high, I’m standing tall, and I’m gonna do my best, and whatever the result is, that’s what it is. But never say I didn’t try.’
Vonn said she isn’t in pain and her knee isn’t swollen after she went skiing on Tuesday. She said her and her medical team are taking things day by day, that if her knee is stable and she feels strong, she’ll compete as planned. Downhill training begins Thursday with the event on Sunday. After that, she will decide on competing in the team combined and super-G.
