“I know my chances were before the crash, and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today, but I know there is still a chance. And as long as there’s a chance, I will try,” a determined Lindsey Vonn said, following her injury that occurred during a warmup ahead of the Crans-Montana World Cup on January 30. This mental resilience has now translated into physical strength at the Winter Olympics, which was also backed by her coach.

The 41-year-old clarified her ACL injury following Dr. Brian Sutterer’s reply to a social media post, stating, “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.” But what did the sports medicine doctor write?

“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. Sutterer replied to another X post.

“When you hear stories about ‘so and so played for years on a torn ACL,’ that’s chronic, meaning the body has time to adapt and retrain muscles to support the knee. Also, someone who had a prior tear/surgery may not be as swollen and painful with a repeat injury. Bottom line, I don’t think this was a bread and butter, fresh ACL tear like everyone is thinking.”

This conversation was initiated from writer Rodger Sherman’s social media post that claimed Vonn’s performance during the women’s downhill training at the Olympic venue was “honestly unbelievable.” The surprising element?

He added, “Lindsey Vonn attempted & completed her training run a week after tearing her ACL, hitting a top speed of 74 mph. They haven’t fixed her ACL, it’s just flopping around in there. And her other knee is made out of titanium. Very literally built different.” While the American skier wasn’t at her best, she was still competitive enough during the training session. Her coach, ski legend Aksel Lund Svindal, sent out an update two days before the event.

“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, said the double Olympic champion, retired since 2019, 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,” he said.

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Well, the excitement for her was off the roof, as before the run, she said, “Nothing makes me happier!! First training run today at 10:30am CET. I’m bib #10. Let’s go!!” But are you aware that before this session, she went to a special place for a certain item?

Lindsey Vonn’s comfort zone in Italy

Cortina d’Ampezzo has seen Lindsey Vonn win 12 World Cups in her stellar career in the place. And with a torn ACL right before the Winter Olympics, the 41-year-old visited ‘Cinque Torri’ restaurant, craving a Margherita pizza.

“The VONN,” she wrote in her IG story, and added, “This is going to make me feel better.” Her visit to the “Home of Skiers” is evident, as it’s one of her familial places to be in.

Restaurant manager Francesco Ghedina confirmed, stating, “Lindsey always comes here, every year, and always orders the Margherita pizza. Usually at 18.25, before we open, she knocks or goes into the kitchen, we make her a Margherita, she eats it quickly – usually with her dog – so we wait a bit. When we open, she slips out from the kitchen door so nobody can see her. I mean, by now these are unspoken agreements; it’s kind of nice that way.”

Also, there’s a unique story behind this gesture from the pizzeria. For someone like the skier, Francesco had a change of mind and wanted to rename the pizza to dedicate it to Vonn’s comeback to the Olympic stage. And now, the world will soon see her ski for those gleaming medals.