Lindsey Vonn Injured in Ski Accident

We sometimes forget how dangerous world class downhill skiing can be while we watch the skiers fly down the slopes.   We got a reminder of the dangers on February 4th when U.S. Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn crashed while competing in the Super G at the World Championships in Austria.  Lindsey was airlifted off the mountain, and while thankfully her injuries aren’t life threatening, reports are she injured her ACL and will require surgery.  Needless to say, she’s done for the season.

A lot of athletes, especially football players, suffer torn or otherwise injured ACLs and make it back.  A prime example of this is Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who returned less than a year after his surgery with his finest season ever in 2012.  Still, his story is extraordinary, and with the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia almost exactly a year away (they run February 7th-23rd) Lindsey’s chances of being back and skiing at a world class level are up in the air at this point.  She has dealt with injuries before and come back better than ever, but this will be her biggest challenge yet.