Feb 7, 2026; Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITALY; Lindsey Vonn of the United States during women's alpine skiing downhill training the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
By Sam Neumann on

Lindsey Vonn completed her first Olympic training run Friday on a completely ruptured ACL, finishing 11th in the women’s downhill practice session just eight days after crashing in Crans-Montana and tearing the ligament in her left knee.

After skiing down the course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, she went on social media and tore into Greg Graber’s USA Today column, questioning why she’d compete at 41 with a serious injury.

“I’m sorry Greg but this is a very odd opinion piece,” Vonn wrote on X, responding directly to Graber’s post sharing his column. “The pain and suffering is the point? I’m searching for meaning? Why am I taking risk ‘at my age?’ This ageism stuff is getting really old.”

Graber, who USA Today identified as a mental performance coach for elite athletes and author of “Slow Your Roll ‒ Mindfulness for Fast Times,” wrote that Vonn was “risking long-term physical repercussions by refusing to hang up her skis at this point.” He questioned what would drive someone with a $14 million net worth to compete on a torn ACL at 41, suggesting it might be about searching for meaning or an inability to let go of her identity as an athlete.

Vonn made clear she didn’t appreciate the psychoanalysis from someone who doesn’t know her story.

“My life does not revolve around ski racing,” Vonn wrote. “I am a woman that loves to ski. I don’t have an identity issue, I know exactly who I am. I was retired for 6 years and I have an amazing life. I don’t need to ski, but I love to ski. I came all this way for one final Olympics and I’m going to go and do my best, ACL or no. It’s as simple as that.”

The response continued in a follow-up post, in which Vonn addressed Graber’s framing of her comeback as an athlete competing past her prime, comparing her situation to Mike Tyson being “pummeled” by Jake Paul in November 2024.

“And respectfully, if you don’t know the story, it might be best not to make assumptions,” Vonn wrote. “And I should add, I’m not skiing past my prime, like the examples you gave. Might want to take a peek at the current downhill standings. I guess it will surprise you to see who is leading.”

Graber made his X account private sometime after Vonn’s response.

The column followed a familiar pattern in how aging female athletes get covered compared to their male counterparts. Tom Brady played until he was 45 and was praised for his commitment and longevity. LeBron James is playing alongside his son at 41, and it’s treated as a heartwarming story about sustained excellence. Philip Rivers was mentioned in Graber’s column as an example of a player who plays at the “highest levels of greatness” in his sport at an older age.

But when Lindsey Vonn — who is currently leading the World Cup downhill standings — decides to compete at 41, suddenly it becomes a question of identity and the search for meaning.

Vonn retired in February 2019 after years of injuries, including multiple ACL tears and fractures that eventually required partial knee replacement surgery in April 2024.

Her return wasn’t some desperate attempt to reclaim glory or prove she still has value as a person. She came back because she loves skiing and wanted one more shot at the Olympics in a place that means everything to her career. The fact that she’s been dominant this season — leading the downhill standings before her crash — proves she’s not clinging to the past. She’s competing at the highest level right now.

The ACL tear happened Jan 30. during a World Cup race in Switzerland. Vonn lost control coming out of a jump, crashed into the safety nets, and spent several minutes on the ground before slowly skiing down to the finish line. She was airlifted to a hospital for evaluation. The diagnosis came back with news that she completely ruptured her ACL, had bone bruising, and had meniscal damage.

Vonn announced Tuesday she’d compete anyway.

Her first training run was scheduled for Thursday, but it got canceled due to the weather. Friday’s session was her first chance to test the knee, and she made it through without any apparent issues, wearing a knee brace and relying on her quads and hamstrings to stabilize the joint.

“I feel stable, I feel strong,” Vonn told reporters earlier this week. “My knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday.”

Vonn races in the women’s downhill Sunday at 11:30 a.m. CET (5:30 a.m. ET). If she medals, she’ll break her own record as the oldest woman to reach the podium in the discipline at a Winter Games. If she doesn’t medal, she’ll have competed in her final Olympics in the place where her career began, doing what she loves on her own terms.

Either way, it won’t be because she’s searching for meaning or clinging to an identity.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann