It was probably the most closely watched training run in Winter Olympic history.
American alpine skiing icon Lindsey Vonn hit the slopes on Friday morning for a run on the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre course in Cortina d’Ampezzo just one week after suffering a devastating knee injury.
Vonn suffered a completely torn ACL in her left knee – among other injuries – during a World Cup race in Switzerland on Jan. 30.
After proclaiming herself ready to compete during a press conference Tuesday, Vonn went out and proved herself right with a solid run.
One broadcaster noted a “hard landing” near the finish line, but it was the only hiccup in Vonn’s much-anticipated tuneup.
“That’s a big box ticked for Lindsey Vonn,” the announcer said on Peacock, per the New York Post.
What was Vonn’s time?
Vonn’s time of 1:40.33 had her ranked 11th out of 45 competitors and was 1.39 seconds behind the leader, fellow American Jacqueline Wiles.
The skiers had been set to have two runs on Friday, but the first was cancelled due to weather conditions.
When asked if she felt the run went well, Vonn replied with a simple “Yep” to the AP reporter.
One of Vonn’s coaches, Aksel Lund Svindal – a former Olympic downhill champion himself – told the Associated Press he was pleased with the American star’s performance.
“She was smart. She didn’t go all in,” Svindal told the outlet. “She made a mistake on the bottom, but the rest looked like just good skiing, but no big risk. And to me it looked symmetrical.”
What is Vonn saying from the slopes?
There is another training run scheduled for Saturday, though it is unclear if Vonn will participate before Sunday’s race.
Vonn posted a shot of herself smiling atop the mountain on Instagram before going out for her training runs.
“Nothing makes me happier!” she captioned the series of three pictures.
“No one would have believed I would be here… but I made it!! I’m here, I’m smiling and no matter what, I know how lucky I am. I’m not going to waste this chance.”
She also posted several stories from the mountain of her having fun with teammates while the session was in a weather delay.
Svindal said that, after watching Vonn’s training, the American should be in medal contention come Sunday’s race.
“I think she can because there was reserves today,” Svindal said. “You’ve seen earlier this season when she skis well she can win and from what I saw today I think she can. It’s going to be hard but I think she could possibly bring that on Sunday.”
Vonn’s press conference proclamation
On Tuesday, the 41 year old addressed her status for the Games, saying she will do everything she can to compete despite the injury.
“I’m still here. I think I’m still able to fight. I think I’m still able to try. And I will try as long as I have the ability to, I will not go home regretting not trying,” Vonn told reporters. “I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate.”
Vonn also shared that she had tested out her knee earlier in the day by going skiing and that it feels stable and strong. She also said she is not in pain and that her knee is not swollen.
“This is not, obviously, what I had hoped for,” she said. “I’ve been working really hard to come into these Games in a much different position. 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.”
What is Vonn’s Olympic history?
Vonn has competed in four previous Winter Olympics, starting with her debut at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.
She has won three medals during her Olympic career – a gold and bronze in Vancouver 2010 and another bronze in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.
During the press conference, she said her main goal is to compete in the downhill and that she will make decisions on the team combined and super-G following that event.
“Considering how my knee feels,” Vonn said, “I feel stable, I feel strong, my knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday.”
What is the full extent for her injury?
While Vonn said that she suffered a ruptured ACL during her press conference, the skier revealed the full extent to her injury on Instagram later Tuesday.
According to her post, Vonn completely tore her left ACL while further injuries to her knee may have been suffered on previous occasions.
“I completely tore my ACL last Friday,” she wrote in her post. “I also sustained a bone bruise (which is a common injury when you tear your ACL), plus meniscal tears but it’s unclear how much of that was there previously and what was new from the crash.”