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Olympic gold medalist and American ski star Lindsey Vonn continued to defy the odds on Friday when she completed her first training session in the women’s alpine skiing downhill just a week after she completely tore her ACL in a World Cup race.
Vonn, wearing the No. 10 bib and a brace on her left knee, successfully completed her run on a day when fog delayed skiers waiting for their turn at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
The 41-year-old champion skier, who holds a record of 12 World Cup wins in Cortina, including six in the downhill, looked aggressive in her first training session. She narrowly cleared one of the gates, but after crossing the finish line, she celebrated with Team USA teammate Breezy Johnson.
“Nothing makes me happier! No one would have believed I would be here,” Vonn wrote in an Instagram post Friday before her run. “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. Let’s go get it!!”
Her official training run was completed in 1:40.33. Through 15 competitors, Vonn finished her run in ninth place, less than a second off the lead skier.
Vonn sustained numerous injuries after crashing during a World Cup race in Switzerland on Saturday.
LINDSEY VONN TRAINS WITH KNEE BRACE AFTER COMPLETELY RUPTURING ACL ONE WEEK BEFORE OLYMPIC RETURN
“I completely ruptured my ACL. I also have bone bruising, which is a common injury when you tear your ACL, plus meniscal damage, which we’re not sure if that was preexisting or from the crash,” she told reporters during a news conference on Tuesday.
Soon, Vonn was back on skis and in the training room.
“I’ve got no doubts in my mind that this is going to be OK,” Vonn’s head coach, Chris Knight, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “She’s been doing box jumps, she’s trying everything out, loads and stresses and things like that to just see where she’s at and see how she feels and she’s pulled up great from everything.”
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Vonn made a stunning comeback to the sport last year after nearly six years away from competition. Her return followed a partial titanium replacement inserted in her right knee, which she had done in 2024.
She is scheduled for her first Olympic event in the women’s downhill on Sunday. She is also slated to compete in the super-G and the new team combined event.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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