Skiing legend and Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn went for the impossible in this year’s winter Olympics. Only days after tearing her ACL, Vonn announced her plan to compete anyway in what figures to be her final Olympics.
Doctors spoke with Yahoo Sports about both what Vonn’s ability to compete would be with a damaged ACL and the risks involved.
“From a purely physical or biomechanical standpoint, it’s possible if you’re an elite Alpine skier like Lindsey is to perform at that Olympic level,” Dr. Catherine Logan, an orthopedic surgeon at the Joint Preservation Center in Denver, said.
“Alpine skiing is very different from your traditional field, cutting, pivoting sports. The movement patterns are relatively predictable in comparison, so there’s less demand on the ACL when we’re trying to decelerate or change directions.
“There’s still an increased risk for secondary injury to the meniscus or her cartilage, but really her ability to generate force, maintain her edges, and tolerate those speeds is not eliminated inherently just by having that ACL deficiency. So, despite all those things, she still has a great chance to perform well.”
Unfortunately, Vonn, 41, wasn’t able to achieve her storybook ending on her damaged knee. Vonn lost control shortly out of the starting gate, clipping a gate with her right shoulder and tumbling down the slope.
Vonn landed awkwardly on her back with her screams ringing out over a hushed crowd while medical personnel attended to her.
BREAKING: U.S. skiing legend Lindsey Vonn has crashed during competition at the Winter Olympics and was medevac’d by helicopter from the course. Wishing her a full recovery — sending strength and support to Team USA. pic.twitter.com/IJIQPpX87j
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) February 8, 2026
“She’ll be OK, but it’s going to be a bit of a process,” Anouk Patty, chief of sport for U.S. Ski and Snowboard, said, per ESPN. “This sport’s brutal, and people need to remember when they’re watching [that] these athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain and going really, really fast.”
Johan Eliasch, president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, said that it was “tragic, but it’s ski racing.”
In a bittersweet victory, Breezy Johnson became only the second American woman to win the Olympic downhill, following Vonn’s win 16 years ago. We at The Comeback are praying for Vonn and her speedy recovery.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.