Lindsey Vonn will not compete in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
“I am devastated to announce that I will not be able to compete in Sochi. I did everything I possibly could to somehow get strong enough to overcome having no ACL but the reality has sunk in that my knee is just too unstable to compete at this level,” she said in a statement on Facebook on Tuesday.
Despite pulling out of the games, the 29-year-old vowed to still compete in the future.
“I’m having surgery soon so that I can be ready for the World Championships at home in Vail next February,” her statement continued.
Adding, “On a positive note, this means there will be an additional spot so that one of my teammates can go for gold. Thank you all so much for all of the love and support. I will be cheering for all of the Olympians and especially team USA!”
Back in October, she stopped by Access Hollywood Live, where she appeared confident she would be able to compete in the Winter Olympics.
“I’ve got a couple of screws loose, you know, I’m definitely a little crazy. I love going fast. It’s something I’ve always loved to do,” she said at the time. “I crash all the time. It’s part of the job description… It doesn’t faze me, it doesn’t bother me. I fell, it was a bigger fall than normal and now I’m getting back up.”
Adding, “I feel great. My knee feels really good, I mean I’ve been training really hard and been skiing a couple of days already. Things are coming along nicely, I’m going start racing probably the end of this month.”
— Jesse Spero
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.