Olympic champion skier, Lindsey Vonn had to be airlifted to the local hospital after she crashed in the mountains during super-G at the Alpine Ski World Championships in Austria on Tuesday.
Vonn’s injuries are not life threatening but reports say she suffered a “complex knee injury.” One report says Vonn suffered both a torn MCL and ACL.
A source told Yahoo! Sports that Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn has suffered ACL & MCL tears to her right knee in a mountain crash today
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) February 5, 2013
Another source, the Austrian Ski Federation has reported that the injury is an ACL/LCL tear.
Recovery times for reconstructive knee surgeries vary greatly, but numerous ski racers with multiple ligament tears have returned to the slopes in less than a year — with unpredictable results.
Following a lengthy fog delay, Vonn crashed midway through the super-G course. She came off a jump and caught the edge of her right ski and twisted her leg violently before going down. She lay on the course for 12 minutes before being airlifted.
Vonn was hospitalized earlier this Winter with an intestinal illness and took several weeks off. The crash could affect her Olympic bid.
