When Lindsey Vonn chose to compete at the Winter Olympics just 9 days after an ACL tear, her decision raised many eyebrows. She was warned of the risks of blowing her knee completely by doctors, and even called “selfish” by critics for not giving her Olympic spot to someone else. But Vonn refused to back down. We know how things eventually ended with the Winter Olympics crash; however, she still stands by her call.

While she is still recovering from her six post-Olympics surgeries, Vonn took time to give a lengthy interview to Vanity Fair on March 26. And she touched on the online criticism she received for competing at the Olympics despite her ACL tear.

“Everyone said it was reckless and I was taking a spot from somebody else and all this nonsense,” Vonn told Vanity Fair.

“I’m not crazy. I know what I can do and what I can’t do,” Vonn doubled down on her call.

Just 9 days before the Olympics, Vonn had crashed into a fence at 70 miles per hour and torn her ACL 100% in Crans Montana. For most people, that’s a recovery period of at least six to eight months. However, Vonn decided to compete, saying that her knee is “not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace,” she’ll be fine.

Now, Vonn’s physical therapist, Lindsay Winninger, has said that she thinks the criticism about this decision came from a general lack of understanding about elite athletes’ bodies.

“When you tear your ACL, it isn’t like you lose all of your strength, power, and cardio just overnight. It’s not a sport like basketball, where you’re constantly pivoting and jumping. She just needed to do a handful of clean turns,” remarked the therapist.

Regardless, Vonn got criticized for it.

Perhaps, fans didn’t consider, that for skiers, ACL injuries are a rather unfortunate common injury, because the legs are under immense stress. But let alone fans, even some doctors found this concerning.

“I fear it may not end as well for Lindsey Vonn,” Dr. David Chao had opined. Another had said, “At these racing speeds, the knee may simply not be stable enough to compete safely.”

Then came her horrific crash during the Olympics, and online speculation insisted that Lindsey Vonn crashed because of her ACL tear. That claim has since proven false, as Vonn crashed when her right arm hooked into the gate as she flew down the slope, causing her to tumble midair.

More than five weeks later, Vonn seems to be recovering at a rapid rate, already doing a variety of exercises most people don’t do after a shattered left leg, a broken right ankle, and a torn ACL. And it has sparked rumors that she might retire, although Vonn hasn’t quite closed that door.

Lindsey Vonn doesn’t close the door on her skiing future

She already made history during her comeback, reaching the podium in all five World Cup downhill races before the Olympics. That included two wins and one second-place finish, making Lindsey Vonn the oldest woman to win a World Cup race. Her performance was so good that Vonn was in pole position for the downhill globe until Laura Pirovano and Emma Aicher surged past.

Even then, Vonn would finish fifth in the standings, an impressive record considering that she didn’t participate in any of the five downhill races after the Olympics. And yet, given her age and injuries, there is a chance that Vonn will never return to skiing. But the 41-year-old refuses to close the door on the sport that made her who she is today.

“I don’t like to close the door on anything, because you just never know what’s going to happen,” Vonn added. “I have no idea what my life will be like in two years or three years or four years. I could have two kids by then. I could have no kids and want to race again. I could live in Europe. I could be doing anything.”

“It’s hard to tell with this injury. It’s so fucked up. I really feel like that was a horrible last run to end my career on. I only made it 13 seconds. But they were a really good 13 seconds.”

Vonn’s injury may have derailed her comeback, but her response to the criticism has ensured that the story around her decision tells a very different tale.