Lindsey Vonn said she is “confident” she can compete at the Milano Cortina Winter Games despite revealing she has been managing a ruptured ACL, maintaining that her Olympic comeback remains on track after a crash last week raised fresh doubts over her participation.

Speaking on Tuesday, the 41-year-old American said she was approaching the final decision cautiously but remained focused on lining up for the downhill at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where the Olympic women’s alpine programme opens Sunday.

“Last Friday in Crans Montana in the last World Cup I completely ruptured my ACL,” Vonn said. “I have to take it day by day. My goal is obviously right now the downhill. I have to see how it feels – if it’s stable and I feel confident, I’ll continue to race. That is my goal. But I can’t tell you that answer until I actually ski 85 miles an hour.”

Vonn said the injury also included a bone bruise and meniscal tears, though she said it remained unclear how much damage was new from the crash and how much may have predated it.

The update came three days after Vonn crashed into the netting during the World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana, injuring her left knee – her right knee required a titanium implant less than two years ago. The fall cast immediate uncertainty over one of the most anticipated storylines of this year’s Games.

Vonn said the days since the crash have been spent undergoing scans, physical testing and monitoring swelling and muscle response, adding that she believes her overall conditioning remains strong.

“My fitness is 100%, but that doesn’t mean that my body is 100%,” she said. “As long as my swelling is down and my muscles are firing, my strength is what it was a few days ago.

“My knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday. This is not, obviously, what I had hoped for. I’ve been working really hard to come into these Games in a much different position.

“I know what my chances were before the crash, and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today, but I know there’s still a chance. And as long as there’s a chance, I will try. So, that’s where I am.”

The revelation that Vonn ruptured her ACL underscores the extent to which injury management has defined the final phase of her career. But she said she has not allowed the diagnosis to shift her mindset.

“I’m not letting this slip through my fingers,” she said. “I’m gonna do it, end of story. I’m not crying. My head is high, I’m standing tall, and I’m gonna do my best – and whatever the result is, that’s what it is. But you can never say I didn’t try.”

Vonn is entered in the downhill, super-G and the new team combined event. Cortina holds particular significance for the American, who has recorded a record 12 World Cup victories on the Italian course during her career.

Her comeback season has already ranked among the most remarkable in the sport’s history. After nearly six years away from competition and following major knee surgery, Vonn returned to the World Cup circuit this season and immediately reestablished herself among the elite, leading the World Cup downhill standings with five podium finishes from five races, including two wins. She has also claimed two other top-three placements in the super-G. Prior to Vonn’s return, the oldest woman to win a World Cup race was 34.

On Tuesday, she acknowledged the emotional stakes of returning to the Olympics after believing her career was over, saying the opportunity to compete again had already exceeded expectations.

“I never thought this was possible,” said Vonn, whose three Olympic medals include gold in downhill and bronze in super-G in 2010 and bronze in downhill in 2018. “This is all icing on the cake. I don’t want to have any regrets. I will do everything in my power to be in that starting gate.”

Training for the Olympic downhill is scheduled across three sessions in Cortina later this week, with the medal race set for Sunday.