By Alan Baldwin
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Lindsey Vonn opened a window into her workout regime on Thursday as the 41-year-old U.S. Alpine ski great prepares to take on the Milano Cortina Olympic downhill with a severely damaged knee.
Vonn told the world on Tuesday that she had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee in a World Cup downhill crash in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, the previous Friday.
“I’m not giving up, working as hard as I can to make it happen,” she declared under an accompanying video on Instagram showing her lifting weights, crouching, stretching, lying while kicking an exercise ball on her back and jumping off a box.
“Thank you to my team and everyone for your incredible support. Keep believing.”
Thursday’s first official training on Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Olimpia delle Tofane piste was cancelled due to heavy overnight snowfall with Friday now the first opportunity to test the slope.
Vonn will have bib number 10 for that training session, with Italy’s Sofia Goggia the 12th starter and compatriot Federica Brignone second out of the start hut.
“We are grooming the course. Tomorrow we will find the course in a good shape ready to host the training,” venue sports manager Matteo Gobbo told a team captains’ meeting, with the weather forecast suggesting some risk of low cloud.
The race, start of the women’s Alpine programme, is on Sunday.
Vonn said on Tuesday she had been doing extensive therapy, been in the gym and done some skiing for the first time since the crash.
“Considering how my knee feels, it feels stable, I feel strong,” she said.
The video reinforced that perception, with Vonn seemingly in no pain and putting weight on both legs with a brace strapped onto the left knee.
Vonn leads the World Cup downhill standings with two wins, a second place and two thirds from five races.
Her comeback, which started in 2024 after nearly six years out, had already caught the imagination and made her a leading figure of the Games and the latest injury scare has raised her profile even further.
“My knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday,” she said on Tuesday.
“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.”
(Reporting by Alan BaldwinEditing by Toby Davis)
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