There might not be a bigger name in skiing right now for the United States than Lindsay Vonn. Back in 2010, Vonn took home gold and bronze medals at the Vancouver games – and hoped that was just the beginning.Vonn performed well after Vancouver and had just recently made a comeback from injury, with her sights set on the Sochi Olympics. But with just 79 days until the biggest winter sports event in the world, the 29-year-old suffered an injury after a crash during training in Copper Mountain, Colo.
While her exact injury has not yet been made public, it’s believed Vonn suffered a knee injury. It’s unclear which knee however, leaving the severity of the injury in question.
The skier’s publicist, Lewis Kay, released a statement claiming that Vonn had not been admitted to a hospital but was being evaluated by her personal doctor, Bill Sterett.
Vonn tore both her ACL and MCL in her right knee and fractured her tibia back on Feb. 5 during a terrible crash at the 2013 World Championships in Austria. She had been eyeing her return to competition on Nov. 29 in Beaver Creek, Colo – but no word yet if that will change. In recent weeks Vonn has claimed her knee is 100 percent and that there was no pain or swelling while back on her skis.
“We have no reason to believe it’s anything significant right now,” U.S. Ski Team spokesman Tom Kelly told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
The ramifications of the injury could be crucial to Vonn’s Olympic aspirations, as even the slightest tweak could set her back months – if it’s the right knee, of course. Vonn – the most successful skier in U.S. history – has four overall World Cup titles and a U.S. record 59 World Cup victories, so it’s no surprise that she’s the country’s best bet at skiing gold and one of the favorites in downhill. There’s little time for setbacks and this could be a big one – but we’ll have to wait for further reports to know exactly.
Ed Miller is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @PhillyEdMiller or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
