Lindsey Vonn Says She's 'Not Going to Waste' Her Chance as She Tests ACL Tear in First Olympic Training Run

NEED TO KNOW

• Lindsey Vonn completed her first Olympic training session since her Jan. 30 crash
• Vonn ruptured her left ACL, but vowed to keep her Olympic dream alive
• The athlete wrote on Instagram that "no one would have believed I would be here," but she "made it"

Lindsey Vonn is ready to prove that a ruptured ACL is no match for her.

The celebrated skier, 41, completed her first downhill training run at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Friday, Feb. 6, just one week after she “completely” ruptured the ACL of her left knee during the World Cup in Switzerland.

Vonn successfully completed two 100-second runs in Cortina, marking an impressive return to the slopes for the star, who previously retired in 2019 after extensive knee injuries. The training session was supposed to take place on Feb. 5, but was delayed due to poor weather.

The athlete marked the occasion was a smiling Instagram selfie posted hours before her training run, saying that “nothing makes me happier” than competing.

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“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,” she wrote in her caption. “ I’m not going to waste this chance 💪🏻 Let’s go get it!!”

Vonn’s 2026 Olympic dreams were in limbo after her Jan. 30 injury, which happened in Crans-Montana, Switzerland after she lost control and ended up in the safety nets amid low visibility.

Later that day, she said in a statement that her Olympic dream was “not over,” and thanked fans for their support.

In a press conference on Feb. 3, Vonn — who is hoping to become the oldest female Alpine skier in Olympic history — announced that she will still be competing in Italy, telling reporters she wasn’t feeling any pain despite her injury.

"It was painful initially after the crash," she said. "I had a feeling it was bad, but I held out hope until I saw the MRI in front of me. But I have not cried, I have not deviated from my plan… I think I’m still able to fight, and I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate.

Vonn’s Team USA teammate Breezy Johnson defended the star’s decision to compete on social media, writing that it’s actually quite common for athletes to ski while nursing ACL injuries.

“There will be 6 Americans running the Downhill training runs and if Lindsey cannot compete… or doesn’t feel competitive enough others can take her place,” Johnson wrote on Threads Wednesday. “But more athletes have competed without an ACL than you think. They just often don’t talk about it because they don’t want to hear about it from the peanut gallery.”

The downhill medal event will take place on Sunday, Feb. 8 in Cortina.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

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