Alpine skiing-Racing with torn ACL 'doable', Mancuso says of Vonn downhill bid

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 4 - Former Olympic champion Julia Mancuso said racing the Milano Cortina Olympic downhill days after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament is “definitely doable” as longtime teammate Lindsey Vonn bids to compete against the odds.

Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill gold medallist, revealed on Tuesday that she had torn her ACL in a crash at Crans-Montana last Friday, along with bone bruising and meniscal damage.

However, she said her knee felt stable after treatment and hopes to compete in Sunday’s downhill with the aid of a brace.

Fellow American Mancuso, who won silver behind Vonn at Vancouver 2010, and claimed gold in giant slalom at Torino 2006, said the timing of the injury made the challenge unusual even in a sport where athletes have sometimes competed without an ACL.

“Normally it happens in the beginning of the season and they have a lot of time to strength train and test it out,” Mancuso, who at 41 is the same age as Vonn, said on Instagram.

“This is going to be unique because she’s going to be testing it in the training runs and we’re going to be watching it and experiencing it live with her.”

'IT'S A CRAZY GAMBLE,' SAYS VAULTIER

In 2014, Frenchman Pierre Vaultier won the first of his two Olympic snowboard cross titles even though he had no anterior cruciate ligament, which had been torn two months earlier.

“It’s a crazy gamble,” he told French newspaper Le Dauphine Libere on Wednesday when asked about Vonn's intentions.

“Here, it’s one week before the event. In snowboard, both feet are attached. In skiing, it’s different. The anterior cruciate ligament allows you to pivot and to hold when you’re leaning too far back.

"The first proprioceptive signs must have been favourable after her fall," he added referring to the body's ability to sense its movement and position, "and the bone contusion is probably under control.

"That’s what causes the pain. The only risk, of course, is re-injury. She (Vonn) has the experience to manage the situation. She knows herself perfectly. You just have to avoid overthinking and go with talent.”

Vonn said on Tuesday that she had already raced with a torn ligament - although it was not ruptured.

"I've only done it once, and that was on my right knee before the 2014 Olympics. I didn't know that it was fully torn at the time, and I raced on it several times," she said.

'WE'LL BE ON THE EDGE OF OUR SEATS,' SAYS MANCUSO

With little time to prepare between the injury and the race, and two training runs scheduled before Sunday, Mancuso said uncertainty would surround Vonn’s condition and the mountain.

“There’s not a lot of time to do any other training, so I think we’ll all be on the edge of our seats for that,” she said, adding that forecast snowfall could make for difficult conditions rather than “the perfect Cortina we’re used to”.

Racing without an ACL while relying on a brace “can be very difficult, but it’s definitely doable, especially with no swelling,” Mancuso said, noting that Vonn had acknowledged she would not be the same athlete she was before the crash.

“She’s still going to try and do her best,” Mancuso said. “I think we’re going to live that experience with her ... hoping she can find the strength to finish the downhill course and hopefully get a good result.”

Vonn returned to elite racing in 2024 after nearly six years away and following right knee replacement surgery. The American produced a strong 2025-26 season in which she made the podium in every downhill she completed before the Crans-Montana crash.

Her immediate focus is Sunday's downhill on Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Olympia delle Tofane, with any decision on racing beyond that to be taken day by day.

Vonn must complete at least one of the downhill training sessions - the first is scheduled for Thursday - to be able to compete in the race. REUTERS