Lindsey Vonn Ends Season Following Knee Injury

Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn announced on social media March 2nd that she was done for the season following a knee injury sustained in a crash in a Super G Race in Andorra on February 27th. Vonn was taken off the course on a sled, and the injury was initially diagnosed as a hairline fracture of her left knee. She returned to compete on February 28th when it was determined that the knee was stable, but afterwards a follow up exam showed there were actually three fractures.

Vonn said that with World Championships taking place next year and the Olympics in 2018, she did not want to risk further injury. Vonn, who won Olympic gold in the Downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games, has had a history of injuries in recent years. She missed the 2014 Olympics in Sochi after suffering a serious injury to her right knee at the start of the 2013 season. Vonn was having an excellent season, and has a narrow lead in the World Cup standings.

While sitting out the rest of the season to recover is the obvious correct choice, one has to wonder just how many more knee injuries she can handle, both in terms of competing at a world class level and in terms of being able to walk away from the sport when it’s over. Literally walk that is.