Lindsey Vonn had done it all. At 41, she was at the top of the FIS Ski World Cup downhill standings and had qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics, making her one of the oldest skiers to compete at the event. But just as her comeback gathered momentum, Vonn tore her ACL at Crans-Montana. Despite the setback, she chose to compete, a decision that drew heavy online criticism, which she has now addressed.

While she may be recovering from surgery, Vonn took time to give a lengthy interview to Vanity Fair, detailing everything from her comeback to her injuries. And the 41-year-old also touched on the ACL tear she suffered just before the Milan Olympics, baffled by the online criticism she received.

“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.”

That criticism largely stemmed from the nature of her injury, as Lindsey Vonn tore her left anterior cruciate ligament during a crash in a race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. For most people, that’s a one-year recovery period, while athletes are usually back within nine to eleven months, depending on the severity of the injury.

For footballers, it’s unfortunately a rather common injury, as well as for skiers and other athletes, where the legs are under immense stress. But despite the tear, Vonn continued to train, practice and do everything else as per her usual schedule, opting to continue with the Milan Olympics.

It did have many people worried and fueled further online criticism, but at the same time, a few were in awe of the 41-year-old, given her prior injury history. That includes irreversible damage to her right knee before it was replaced, which partly inspired her comeback.

Yet despite that, Vonn did things her way as criticism flowed, much of it coming from social media. And the social media hate that came Vonn’s way equally baffled her physical therapist, Lindsay Winninger.

“Lindsey is in peak physical condition. She [was] in top shape going into those Olympic Games,” Winninger told Vanity Fair. “When you tear your ACL, it isn’t like you lose all of your strength, power, and cardio just overnight.”

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, and 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.