Lindsey Vonn's High-Stakes Gamble: Inside the Audacious Plan to Ski for Olympic Gold on a Torn ACL

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy – In the high-altitude world of elite ski racing, where careers are measured in hundredths of a second and can end in a single, violent crash, Lindsey Vonn is placing a final, audacious bet. The 41-year-old superstar, coaxed out of retirement for one last shot at Olympic glory, is set to enter the starting gate for Sunday's downhill race with a freshly torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee—an injury that typically sidelines athletes for the better part of a year.

The decision has sent a ripple of astonishment and debate through the sports world. It is a move that defies conventional medical wisdom but is, according to Vonn and those closest to her, a calculated risk rooted in biomechanics, technology, and sheer force of will. As the 2026 Winter Games reach their alpine climax, the central question is not just if she can win, but how she can even compete.

The Anatomy of a Calculated Risk

Just over a week ago, Vonn's monumental comeback story appeared to have reached a tragic conclusion when she crashed during a race, tearing her left ACL. For most athletes, this is a season-ending, and often career-altering, diagnosis.

The ACL is a critical stabilizer within the knee joint, connecting the femur (thighbone) to the tibia (shinbone). Its primary function is to prevent the tibia from sliding forward and to provide rotational stability to the knee.

• The Expert View: Dr. Timothy Lin, an orthopedic surgeon at Dartmouth Health with experience working with the U.S. ski team, notes the ACL's importance in sports that require sudden changes in direction. "In the NFL, you are constantly cutting and pivoting," he explains. An ACL tear in that context makes it nearly impossible to perform.

• The Skiing Difference: "Although you can tear your ACL skiing pretty easily, skiing is not necessarily a cutting and pivoting activity in and of itself," Dr. Lin states. The mechanics of the sport, particularly Vonn's specialty, create a unique physiological environment.

Why Downhill Makes the Impossible, Possible

The viability of Vonn's attempt hinges on the specific discipline she has chosen: the downhill. As the fastest and most direct of the alpine events, its physical demands are different from more technical, twisting events.

Skiers in the downhill must execute high-speed turns and navigate jumps, but a significant portion of the race is spent in a low-profile aerodynamic tuck, traveling in a relatively straight line. This minimizes the kind of sharp, pivoting motions that would destabilize a knee lacking an ACL.

• Predictable Forces: In the downhill, the forces on the knee are immense but largely predictable. "She's going to go side to side, but she's not planting her foot and pivoting on it, hopefully," Dr. Lin says.

• Muscular Compensation: Elite skiers like Vonn possess extraordinary strength in their quadriceps and hamstrings. These powerful muscle groups can be consciously engaged to act as a "natural brace," dynamically stabilizing the knee joint and compensating for the missing ligament.

• The Real Danger: The greatest risk is not in the controlled act of skiing the course, but in the unexpected. An unforeseen bump or a slight loss of balance can lead to a crash, which is what often causes the initial ACL tear. A second crash on the already-compromised knee could lead to far more severe damage to the meniscus, cartilage, or other ligaments.

A High-Risk Precedent

Vonn is not the first elite skier to attempt this feat, and history provides a stark reminder of the risks.

In 2022, fellow American skier Breezy Johnson tore her ACL just before the Beijing Olympics and made the decision to continue competing. "I felt like it was totally possible. I knew that it was risky," Johnson said.

Her gamble did not pay off. A few weeks later, another crash caused more extensive damage to the same knee, forcing her to withdraw from the Games and undergo major surgery.

Johnson’s experience highlights the thin margin between success and catastrophe. "There are, I think, more athletes that ski without ACLs and with knee damage than talk about it," she commented this week, pointing to a culture where athletes often conceal the extent of their injuries to avoid external judgment.

The Vonn Factor: A Toolkit for Defiance

For Vonn to succeed where others have failed, she will rely on a combination of technology, conditioning, and unparalleled mental strength.

• The Brace: Vonn will wear a sophisticated, custom-fitted knee brace designed to provide external stability and prevent hyperextension. While not a substitute for a ligament, it significantly reduces the risk of the knee giving way during a run.

• The Mind: Perhaps Vonn's greatest asset is what teammate Bella Wright calls her "mental game." Wright, who has recovered from her own ACL tear, asserts, "That is what it takes to get through injuries, to get through the trauma, to get through the crashes... that is what makes Lindsey Lindsey."

• The Confidence: Vonn herself has been resolute. "It feels stable. I feel strong. My knee is not swollen," she told reporters. "With the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete."

The Final Dress Rehearsal

Vonn’s confidence was substantiated in official training runs on Friday and Saturday. She successfully navigated the demanding course, finishing Friday's session with the 11th fastest time out of more than 40 competitors, despite a minor error on a lower turn.

Her coach, two-time Norwegian Olympic champion Aksel Lund Svindal, was cautiously optimistic. "She was smart. She didn't go all in," he observed. "The rest looked like good skiing." Crucially, Svindal noted that Vonn did not appear to be favoring the injured knee and remained calm under pressure.

What to Watch For

Before the injury, Vonn was the FIS World Cup downhill season leader and a favorite for what would be her second Olympic gold medal. While she acknowledges her chances are now diminished, her participation alone is a monumental story of athletic resilience.

On Sunday, all eyes will be on Vonn. Success will not be measured solely by a place on the podium. A clean, competitive run that sees her cross the finish line safely would be a remarkable victory in itself—a final, defiant chapter in a legendary career.

"I'm gonna do it. End of story," Vonn stated firmly. "I'm going to do my best, and whatever the result is, that's what it is. But I can never say I didn't try."