American champion Lindsey Vonn announced at a press conference her intention to compete at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games despite a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury.
A powerful message delivered in the setting of Cortina d’Ampezzo, a symbolic and iconic venue of world alpine skiing.
Vonn explained that she had carefully assessed the risks together with her medical and technical staff. “I know what it means to suffer, but I also know what it means to fight,” she told reporters.
The skier emphasized that experience and mental preparation are now just as decisive as physical condition.
Sky Sport asked Professor Fabrizio Tencone, Director of Isokinetic Turin, what this type of injury entails and whether it is possible to compete in alpine skiing just a few days later.
According to Tencone, Vonn’s situation after an anterior cruciate ligament rupture can present itself in unexpected ways, with little swelling or initial pain depending on the type of injury.
There are rare but documented cases in which an athlete continues to train or compete despite a significant injury, because not all the surrounding tissues have been damaged.
The Director of Isokinetic Turin also cited examples from football, where some players have continued playing despite knee trauma.
