Lindsey Vonn Tears ACL but Vows to Race at Olympics
The 41-year-old American skier suffered a torn left ACL yet plans to compete in downhill and super-G at Milan-Cortina, despite missing Andorra World.
Key Points
- Vonn tore left ACL but skied stably with brace, targeting Olympic downhill (Feb 12) and super-G.
- Injury likely rules her out of Andorra World Cup (Feb 27-Mar 1).
- Leads downhill standings, 3rd in super-G after Sun Valley podium post-5-year hiatus.
- Olympic gold medalist since age 16; Andorran Xavier Cornellà takes 3rd in Far East Cup slalom.
Lindsey Vonn, the 41-year-old American skier from Saint Paul, has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee but plans to compete at the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics. The injury dims prospects for her participation in the World Cup event scheduled for 27 February to 1 March in El Tarter, Andorra, where she had been expected to shine.
Vonn, who already has a titanium knee from past surgeries, confirmed her Olympic intentions yesterday. She intends to race in the downhill on Sunday and the super-G on Thursday, 12 February, and has not ruled out the team mixed event. "Today [yesterday for readers] I went skiing with a brace—the knee felt stable and I'm confident I can compete," she said.
The skier returned to the World Cup podium last month with a strong super-G performance in Sun Valley, United States, after a five-year absence. She currently leads the downhill standings and sits third in super-G.
Vonn's Olympic pedigree dates back to age 16, when she claimed gold at the Vancouver Games.
In other skiing news, Andorran alpine racer Xavier Cornellà secured third place in the second slalom of the Far East Cup in South Korea. The FAE athlete finished 1.28 seconds behind the winner.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: