• US star clocks successful practice run a week after injury

• Olympic medal race is set for Sunday at Cortina

Lindsey Vonn moved a step closer to one of the most improbable Olympic starts in Alpine skiing history on Friday, producing an aggressive and largely clean downhill training run on the Olimpia delle Tofane course less than a week after fully rupturing the ACL in her left knee and being airlifted off a mountain in Switzerland.

The 41-year-old American clocked 1min 40.33sec in a fog-delayed session, but the time itself was secondary to what the run represented: proof that she can still attack a course at speed – and survive it – as she targets Sunday’s medal race.

• US skiing icon must wait to test injured knee

• Coach confident skier will be competitive at Games

Lindsey Vonn has been forced to wait for her chance to test her injured knee after heavy snowfall led to the cancellation of the first women’s downhill training at the Winter Olympics.

The American skiing icon was due to take part in Thursday morning’s training session in Cortina d’Ampezzo as she attempts to compete at the 2026 Games with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

• Vonn confident despite ACL rupture before Olympics

• Will decide after testing knee at race speeds soon

• Olympic downhill scheduled for Sunday at Cortina

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.

• American still preparing for Milano Cortina Games

• ‘Thank you for the love and support I have received’

Lindsey Vonn sat out a World Cup super-G race on Saturday after crashing and injuring her left knee a day earlier, but remains on track for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, her coach said.

“No, she is not racing today but preparing for Cortina as usual,” Chris Knight, Vonn’s personal head coach, said in a text message. Vonn then posted on Instagram: “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to race today. Thank you for all of the love and support I have received. Means the world to me. Doing my best right now …”

• Vonn crashes into nets and clutches left knee

• Race in Crans-Montana abandoned after early falls

• ‘My Olympic dream is not over,’ insists US star

Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the final World Cup downhill before the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday, leaving the American skiing great limping and clutching her left knee as organizers abandoned the race amid worsening conditions.

The 41-year-old lost control after landing a jump on the upper section of the course in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, skidding sideways into the safety netting as snow fell steadily and visibility deteriorated. Vonn’s airbag deployed on impact and she remained down for several moments while medical staff attended to her on the piste.

• Vonn makes it five podiums from five downhills

• Delago earns first World Cup win on home snow

• Foggy Tarvisio hosts first race in 15 years

Italy’s Nicol Delago won a foggy women’s World Cup downhill on home snow in Tarvisio on Saturday as age-defying US Alpine ski great Lindsey Vonn powered to her fifth podium in five races.

The victory, in a time of one minute and 46.28 seconds with bib number three, was the 30-year-old Val Gardena skier’s first on the World Cup circuit and her first podium since she was third in Saalbach in March 2024.

• Vonn places third again in super-G at Val-d’Isère

• 41-year-old logs 142nd World Cup podium finish

• Milan-Cortina Olympics firmly in sight for US star

Sofia Goggia finally got the win her fast skiing this season deserved in a World Cup super-G on Sunday and Lindsey Vonn was third for the second straight day.

The two former Olympic downhill champions were split on a high-class podium by runner-up Alice Robinson, who is already a two-time winner this season on the World Cup circuit.

• Vonn, 41, third in Val d’Isere downhill despite costly error

• American extends lead in World Cup downhill standings

• Comeback season sharpens expectations for 2026 Games

Lindsey Vonn’s expectations have shifted so dramatically during her Olympic comeback that even a podium finish now comes with a sense of frustration.

The 41-year-old American finished third in Saturday’s women’s World Cup downhill at Val d’Isère, France, extending a blistering start to the season that has already included a victory and a runner-up finish in the space of nine days. But after a small mistake on the lower section of the course cost her valuable time, Vonn left the finish area convinced she had let a potential win slip away.

• Skier breaks record after destroying field at San Moritz

• Vonn is among favourites for Winter Olympics downhill

Lindsey Vonn’s extraordinary ­comeback from retirement and ­serious knee surgery gathered pace on Friday when she became the oldest skier to win a World Cup race at the age of 41.

The American, who had not raced for five years until she returned to the ­circuit last year, destroyed the ­women’s downhill field in San Moritz to win by nearly a second.