Park City, UT – Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn announced today that she will not participate in the upcoming Winter Olympics set to get underway next month in Sochi, Russia.
“I am devastated to announce that I will not be able to compete in Sochi. I did everything I possibly could to somehow get strong enough to overcome having no ACL but the reality has sunk in that my knee is just too unstable to compete at this level,” Vonn admitted Tuesday morning.
Vonn, who had staged a comeback from knee surgery in December with an impressive fifth place finish in the opening Audi FIS Alpine World Cup super G in Lake Louise, felt that a subsequent racing injury in Val d’Isere, France from Dec. 21 made it impossible to stabilize her knee and be ready to safely ski again next month.
“On a positive note, this means there will be an additional spot so that one of my teammates can go for gold,” Vonn added. “Thank you all so much for all of the love and support. I will be cheering for all of the Olympians and especially team USA! ”
“While Lindsey won’t be in Sochi, we have a strong team that is well prepared to challenge,” said the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s outgoing President and CEO, Bill Marolt. “The women’s speed team is experienced with five athletes who have achieved World Cup podiums and a seasoned veteran in Julia Mancuso who has won three Olympic medals in her career. Now is the time for those athletes to step up towards our ‘Best in the World’ vision.”
Vonn originally sustained a season-ending injury to her right knee on Feb. 5, 2013 during a crash in the opening race of the World Championships in Schladming, Austria. She returned to snow in August in Chile before re-aggravating the same knee during a downhill training crash on Nov. 19 at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain, Colo. Vonn nevertheless returned to the World Cup tour Dec. 6-8 with a successful three-race series in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada including an impressive fifth the super G.
Vonn will soon undergo another surgery so that she has sufficient time for recovery with a focus on the February, 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships at her home in Vail/Beaver Creek, Colo., as well as the World Cup season.
“In looking ahead, I have every ounce of confidence that Lindsey will be in the starting gate next World Cup season ready to compete. She knows the hard work it takes to get to the top and still has significant goals to achieve in what has been an incredible career,” added Marolt.
Vonn is the most successful female alpine skier in American history with 17 World Cup titles including a record six consecutive downhill titles and four overall crowns. Vonn holds 59 World Cup victories, currently three short of tying the women’s all-time record of 62 held by Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell.