Editor's note: This story was published prior to the Olympic women's downhill race on Saturday, Feb. 8 in which Lindsey Vonn crashed and was air-lifted for further medical evaluation. The latest updates on Vonn can be found here. 

Lindsey Vonn’s return to the Olympics was already an improbable story of resilience and determination.

Returning to competition as a 41-year-old after nearly six years of retirement, and quickly moving up the ranks of the sport, is no small feat. But as the five-time Olympian prepares for the final Olympic downhill competition of her career, she faces yet another obstacle — Vonn will race with a torn ACL that she sustained just over a week ago.

One of the most decorated Alpine skiers in history, Vonn’s dominance in the sport has not come without setbacks and challenges. But now Vonn will attempt a feat that many have deemed nearly impossible. Which begs the question: Just how remarkable is Vonn's effort to further cement her Olympic legacy?

What has Lindsey Vonn shared about her injury?

On Feb. 3, Vonn held a press conference and took to Instagram to share that she tore her ACL and sustained a bone bruise. She also revealed that she has meniscal tears that may have been caused by the crash.

“This was obviously incredibly hard news to receive one week before the Olympics," she wrote. "I really appreciate everyone giving me time and space to process what happened and find a way forward.”

Vonn shared that after extensive consultations, her plan to compete at the Milan Cortina Olympics remained intact.

"I am confident in my body's ability to perform," the post said. "Despite my injuries, my knee is stable, I do not have swelling and my muscles are firing and reacting as they should."

Since her announcement, Vonn has shared social media videos of her completing high-intensity workouts, and she successfully completed both training runs at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina. On Saturday, Vonn posted a top-3 time of 1 minute, 38.12 seconds, shaving over two seconds off her Friday mark. 

After Saturday's run, she shared another Instagram post. 

"Just getting to these Olympics has been a journey, and one that some did not believe in from the start," she wrote, adding: "I will race tomorrow in my final Olympic Downhill and while I can’t guarantee a good result, I can guarantee I will give it everything I have. But no matter what happens, I have already won."

How rare is competing with an ACL injury? 

Competing with an ACL injury is undoubtedly rare, but not unheard of. Several athletes have sustained similar injuries and elected to continue competing. 

One such athlete is fellow Team USA women’s downhill competitor Breezy Johnson. The defending world champion in the event experienced a similar injury timeline to Vonn back in 2022 when she tore her ACL ahead of the Beijing Games. Johnson, too, decided to compete with the tear. However, she crashed again during a training session and further damaged her knee, ultimately resulting in her withdrawal from the Games.

Switzerland’s Carlo Janka tore his ACL in 2017 and competed in the Olympics just two months later, and Switzerland’s Joana Hählen has also competed without surgical repair. 

They are not the only ones. While knee injuries are fairly common among Alpine skiers, a wide range of other athletes competing in different sports have dealt with similar injuries and decided to compete. 

Tiger Woods won the 2008 U.S. Open with a torn ACL and a pair of stress fractures in his left tibia. Several hockey players, including Vancouver Canucks’ Ilya Mikheyev and San Jose Sharks’ Joe Thornton, have played through the injury. Mickey Mantle played nearly his entire 18-year Hall of Fame baseball career with a torn ACL. 

And Vonn’s favorite NFL team — the Denver Broncos — featured a Hall of Fame quarterback in John Elway, who played his entire NFL career with a damaged ACL. 

Of course, competing through injuries of this nature requires a unique mental fortitude and competitive nature. Widely considered one of the best Alpine skiers of all time, Vonn certainly fits the bill.  

“She truly does have a different relationship to pain," said Dr. Armando Gonzalez, Vonn’s mental coach. "She feels and experiences it differently, and it doesn’t move the needle for her like it does you and I.”

What is Lindsey Vonn's injury history? 

Vonn has dealt with various injuries throughout her career. In 2007, she sustained a season-ending ACL sprain. In 2010, it was microfractures in her forearm just weeks before the Olympics and a broken pinky during the Games. In 2011, she sustained a concussion. And in 2013, it was her ACL again — this time, a torn ACL, MCL and fractured tibial plateau. She re-tore her ACL later that same year. In 2015, she dealt with a fractured ankle before navigating season-ending tibial plateau fractures in 2016. And in 2018, she sustained a sprained left knee ligament and an injury to her peroneal nerve.

In 2019, Vonn decided to retire, stating: "My body is broken beyond repair and it isn't letting me have the final season I dreamed of. My body is screaming at me to STOP and it’s time for me to listen."

After navigating daily knee pain, she had a robot-assisted partial knee replacement in April 2024. But after returning to skiing pain-free, Vonn decided to return for the Milan Cortina Olympics — largely because of the significance of the location. Cortina is where she earned her first podium finish and broke the women's World Cup win record.

And on Sunday, she will compete in the meaningful location one more time.

"I will stand in the starting gate tomorrow and know I am strong," she shared in an Instagram post on Saturday. "Know that I believe in myself. Know that the odds are stacked against me with my age, no ACL, and a titanium knee — but know that I still believe. And usually, when the odds are stacked against me the most, I pull the best of what’s inside me out."

Watch Vonn compete in the women's downhill right here at 5:30 a.m. ET.