Lindsey Vonn, defending gold medal Olympian, needs reconstruction knee surgery after falling during the super-G race in Schladming, Austria Tuesday, news sources report.
After medical personnel assisted Vonn for 12 minutes she was airlifted to a hospital. Vonn suffered two torn knee ligaments and a lateral tibial plateau fracture, United States ski team's medical director said to New York Times.
Dr. Tom Hackett, a team physician for the United States Ski and Snowboard Association, told the New York Times the future for Vonn looks optimistic. "We've had a lot of skiers and snowboarders come back in a year and do very well, " Hackett said.
In a special interview Vonn told the Denver Post that she was unable to train prior to the race Tuesday because of the weather conditions. Many other contestants were unable to finish the race because of the "extreme situation" the weather had caused, USA Today reported.
Vonn "is expected to return to racing for the 2013-14 Audi FIS World Cup season and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi," the Washington Post reported.
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