Six to nine months. That’s the minimum amount of time that an ACL tear requires to heal completely. For Lindsey Vonn, though, with the Winter Olympics right around the corner, that was too much time to lose. As such, she has already dropped an update on her injury from the Crans-Montana crash on January 30.

“lol thanks doc. My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday. Just because it seems impossible to you doesn’t mean it’s not possible. And yes, my ACL is 100% ruptured. Not 80% or 50%. It’s 100% gone,” Vonn updated about her injury.

Her response was prompted by a fan post where they added how she practiced on the Olympia delle Tofane downhill course with a brace on to keep her ACL supported on Friday. She even hit a top speed of 74 mph. However, a Sports Medicine doctor questioned the severity of Vonn’s knee injury.

“There’s a very important aspect of this that we don’t know —What was the state of her ACL before the crash last week? What she is doing now would not be nearly as surprising in an elite athlete whose knee was already functioning like the ACL was torn at baseline,” Dr. Brian Sutterer questioned.

“Also, someone with a prior tear or surgery may not experience as much swelling or pain with a repeat injury. Bottom line: I don’t think this was a fresh, bread-and-butter ACL tear like everyone is assuming.”

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

It is important to note that while Vonn has a long history of injuries and surgeries, she has never torn an ACL in her left leg.

These Olympics are probably the last for the 41-year-old who has pushed her body to every limit. However, she’s not giving up the chance to show up, win or lose. She was already working out to prepare for Milan, which included strength training, core exercises, and even weighted lunges.

“I’m not giving up 💪🏻 working as hard as I can to make it happen!,” she told her fans with an Instagram post a couple of days ago.

But while she has continued believing in herself and her team, the accident last month was quite serious.

The accident occurred on January 30, 2026, during the World Cup in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Vonn lost her balance on a jump in the downhill event. She slid into the safety nets and had to be airlifted off the course to be assessed.

A scan revealed rupture of the ACL in her left knee. Bone bruising and meniscus damage were also detected by the doctors, which tends to leave the knee unstable and painful.

Lately, her injury has drawn a lot of opinions from various doctors online. Not long ago, Dr. David Chao, an orthopedic surgeon and a former team physician for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers), had opined, “I fear it may not end as well for Lindsey Vonn.”

ACL tears are quite common in the NFL, and being a former doctor for the league, Chao has come across multiple such cases every year. Usually, players opt to nurse and rehabilitate their torn ACL. However, Vonn’s return within a week has attracted a mix of opinions from doctors.

Despite not being at her best, Vonn’s competitive training session has left viewers stunned. Seven days after a complete ACL tear, she clocked a time of 80.78 seconds to rank third among the 44 participants in the practice.  

And if this wasn’t enough, her Winter Olympics coach, Norwegian ski legend Aksel Svindal, has also sent out an update two days before the event.

Lindsey Vonn’s coach breaks the silence on her injury

Even an uphill battle can seem achievable if one believes in themselves. And Lindsey Vonn surely does. Now that reassurance is starting to show through in her coach’s eyes, too.

“I spoke briefly with her, but looking at the ski, it was symmetrical. I didn’t see any difference between the two legs. She is there, well and safe,” Vonn’s double Olympic champion coach reassured on Friday. “She made a mistake downstairs, but we can sort that out before the race. As long as the skiing and knees are fine. It was a good day.”

In fact, he is sure she can pull off a podium finish at the Winter Olympics despite the ACL tear.

“Yes, I think so,” her coach replied, sure that Lindsey Vonn has it in her to beat the odds. “We have to stay confident, and I truly believe in her.”

Vonn plans to attend the women’s downhill on February 8 in Cortina d’Ampezzo. She also aspires to engage in Super-G on February 12 and the team combined competition.