Lindsey Vonn Forced To Wait After Downhill Training Canceled

Organizers in Cortina d'Ampezzo canceled the Thursday women's downhill training due to heavy snowfall and a forecast of mixed snow and rain, delaying Lindsey Vonn's planned test of her ruptured left ACL before the Feb. 8 Olympic downhill, officials confirmed.

Vonn, 41, drew the first bib for the canceled session and has said she intends to race in the Feb. 8 downhill despite a Jan. 30 rupture of her left ACL, bone bruising and meniscal damage, a medical team told reporters on Feb. 3.

Chris Knight, Vonn's head coach, told The Associated Press on Feb. 5 that Vonn was performing box jumps, pool work with a weighted vest and high-speed skiing and that he had "no doubts" she could compete, while Vonn's medical team said daily evaluations would determine her status.

Milano Cortina organizers have scheduled two remaining downhill training runs for Friday and Saturday and rules require Vonn to start at least one training run to be eligible for the Feb. 8 downhill, race officials and team sources said.

With weather forecasts predicting more snow and mixed conditions, organizers warned of possible additional changes, and Vonn and her team said they would reassess after the next training runs, a situation marked by competing priorities of athlete safety and Olympic competition deadlines.