Lindsey Vonn, injured, hits the slopes for her last workout before the Olympic race

Lindsey Vonn hit the slopes for one last training run before Sunday’s Olympic race after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament when she Crashed in a World Cup race. in the Swiss Alps a week ago.

The 41-year-old alpine skiing great injured her knee when she crashed in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, but has vowed to compete in Sunday’s downhill anyway.

On Friday, Vonn confirmed the severity of her injury.

In a social media response to a doctor’s post questioning her ability to compete, Vonn said, “haha, 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% torn. Not 80% or 50%. It’s 100% gone.”

Saturday’s race was the second official downhill training to take place before Vonn’s first competitive Olympic event, the women’s downhill, which is scheduled for sunday.

Three training sessions were supposed to take place, but the first, scheduled for Thursday, was canceled due to weather conditions. Vonn successfully participated in a training event on fridaywhich was also subject to weather delays.

The 41-year-old completed Saturday’s race with no apparent problems.

“Everything is fine,” Vonn told The News.

Fellow American Olympic Alpine Skiers told News themezone Thursday that they believed their teammate would be able to persevere despite her injury.

“If anyone can get out of this, if anyone can do it, it’s Lindsey,” said U.S. team skier Isabella Wright during a U.S. athlete’s training before the opening of the Games.

“If it’s your last Games and you know, you probably already have a lot of damage to your knee, then there’s not much to lose,” Vonn’s teammate Breezy Johnson told News themezone.

Vonn denounces age discrimination

After completing the workout, Vonn took to social media to react to what she called a “very strange op-ed” published by USA Today on Saturday.

Greg Graber, who USA Today reports is a mental performance coach for elite athletes, said that in his experience, it is not uncommon for elite athletes to base their self-esteem on their athletic performance, adding, “It’s interesting to reflect on why some of our most revered athletic superstars sometimes compete well past their prime.”

“I’m no doctor, but it sounds like she’s risking long-term physical repercussions by refusing to hang up her skis right now. Vonn is smart, beautiful, and has a long life ahead of her once she retires from the slopes,” he wrote of Vonn.

On

“Is pain and suffering the point? Am I searching for meaning? That I am taking a risk ‘at my age’? This ageism issue is getting old,” Vonn wrote. “My life doesn’t revolve around ski racing.”

She added: “I am a woman who loves to ski. I have no identity problems, I know exactly who I am.”

Vonn said she doesn’t need to ski but loves the sport and “came here for one last Olympics.”

“And I’m going to do the best I can, ACL or not. It’s as simple as that,” he wrote. “And respectfully, if you don’t know the story, it would be best not to make assumptions.”