MILAN — American skiing star Lindsey Vonn went through her first training run Friday since rupturing the ACL in her left knee, flashing a smile at the finish line after making it through her 100-second run without issue.
When Vonn made it down the course in Cortina safely, it checked a major box in her attempt to medal despite the injury. She was hurt one week ago during a World Cup race after she lost control coming off a jump while bracing to make a right-hand turn on a course in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
It is not the same knee that required major surgery, and that led her to retire in 2019 before launching a comeback last year.
Friday's run was delayed more than an hour due to low visibility in Cortina.
Her coach, Aksel Lund Svindal, is feeling hopeful that Vonn will compete on Sunday.
“She’s unbelievable,” Svindal said. “So I really think that she can do this.”
Svindal said that Vonn excelled at turns, a skill the coach called her “superpower,” but she made some mistakes on the last part of the course. “But you know, that stuff we can fix on race day, but if the knee wasn’t working, that we couldn’t fix, so I think we should be very happy,” he said.
Vonn told reporters this week in Cortina, Italy, that she had undergone "extensive therapy" since rupturing the knee ligament and that "considering how my knee feels, I feel stable, I feel strong," she said. "My knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday."
Before last Friday’s injury, the 41-year-old Vonn's comeback had been defined by her remarkably consistent health, especially for an athlete who had dealt with constant injuries throughout her career. Two victories last month on the World Cup circuit turned into a serious medal contender in Cortina, what she has called her favorite course to compete.
“I know what my chances were before the crash, and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today, but I know there’s still a chance and as long as there’s a chance, I will try," she said.
Vonn added that "I also know what my knee has felt like with previous injuries in the gym, and what it’s felt like during all the physical tests, and I can say that I feel a lot better right now than I have in the past. I feel a lot better right now than I did in 2019 for the last World Championships, and I still got a medal there."
