Lindsey Vonn Injures Right Knee, Tears ACL and MCL

Lindsay Vonn tore two knee ligaments as she skied down the slopes in the super-G of the Alpine world championships in Schladming, Austria on Tuesday.

Vonn took a spill when she tried to land a jump coming down the mountain. Her right knee gave out and bent in towards the left, causing her to flip over and roll 100 yards in the snow. The medaled skier tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) in her right knee night as a result, according to US ski team medical director Kyle Wilkens.

Her injuries will require her to undergo reconstructive surgery and force her to sit out the rest of the season. However, the team has hope that she’ll be able to compete in the 2013-14 World Cup – a tournament that Vonn has won a total of four times.

“There’s a very good chance she could return at full force,” Dr. Tom Hackett, a team physician with the United States Ski and Snowboard Association, told The New York Times. “Typically, the A.C.L. alone will keep her out six to eight months, at least at the high, intense level of skiing she’s used to. The M.C.L. can often heal on its own. And a fracture with an A.C.L. is commonly a minor component."

Over the last several years, Vonn has faced a multitude of lesser injuries and setbacks. She competed in the 2006 Olympics with a bruised back, broke a finger in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, suffered a concussion in the last world championships and had to sit out of training for a period of time this winter after battling an intestinal illness. With any luck, her resilience will see her through to another medal-worthy performance at the 2013-14 World Cup

Check out the video of Vonn’s crash below: