Three-time Olympic skiing medalist Lindsey Vonn remains adamant about competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics despite a devastating torn ACL in her left knee, but a prominent sports medicine expert has expressed serious doubts about the feasibility—and safety—of her plan.
Vonn, 41, confirmed her intention to race in the women’s downhill on February 8, just nine days after a high-speed crash during a World Cup event in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on January 30. The incident, which required airlifting from the course, resulted in a complete rupture of her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), along with bone bruising and meniscal damage. Vonn has undergone intensive therapy, medical consultations, and on-snow testing with a knee brace, declaring her knee stable and her body ready to perform.
However, Dr. David Chao, a former longtime team physician for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and founder of Sports Injury Central, offered a sobering perspective in an online video statement Tuesday. Highlighting the “very high forces, high speeds, and extreme conditions” of Olympic-level alpine skiing, Chao argued that competing with a ruptured ACL in such a demanding, ACL-dependent sport poses far greater risks than even high-profile football cases.
Chao referenced his experience allowing athletes to play through ACL tears, including quarterback Philip Rivers, who famously competed just six days after a scope in the 2008-09 AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots. Yet he emphasized that skiing’s demands make a brace far less reliable. “A brace does not have a great chance of working,” Chao said. “It would be amazing if Lindsey Vonn could compete, and even more amazing if she could succeed.”
The doctor expressed concern for Vonn’s well-being, noting her history of severe knee issues—including multiple injuries that contributed to her 2019 retirement—and her recent partial knee replacement in her right knee in 2024. While that right knee remained uninjured in the latest crash, Chao voiced fear that pushing through could lead to worse outcomes. “I fear it may not end as well for Lindsey Vonn,” he said. “My biggest hope is that she doesn’t fall and suffer a more serious injury.”
Vonn, a dominant force this season with multiple World Cup podiums despite her prior surgeries, has described the potential Olympic appearance as her most dramatic comeback yet. She holds the World Cup record with 12 victories in Cortina, site of the women’s alpine events, adding personal significance to her bid.
As the Milano Cortina Games approach—with the opening ceremony on February 6—Vonn’s determination has drawn widespread admiration, but medical skepticism like Chao’s underscores the extraordinary gamble involved in her pursuit of one final Olympic chapter.
