Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn had knee surgery after suffering a serious injury in a crash in Austria last week in which she needed to be airlifted away to the hospital.
According to ESPN.com, the surgeon who operated on Vonn said he was "optimistic for a full recovery" and the torn ligaments she suffered last week at the world championships will not stop her from competing. Dr. Bill Sterett, a physician for the U.S. Ski Team, performed the procedure on Vonn's knee and Saud in a release that the surgery was a success and Vonn was recovering.
"The overall success rate for ACL/MCL surgery is very good. Modern surgical techniques combined with aggressive rehabilitation will help Lindsey make a full recovery," said Sterett, who's also a surgeon at Vail-Summit Orthopaedics. "She will do everything in her power to return as quickly as possible to competitive skiing."
Vonn crashed after her ski became tangled in the slope and tore her anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments while also breaking a bone in her lower leg. The four-time overall World Cup champion was hurt during the super-G in Schladming, Austria and no date was announced for her return. The doctors said it could be eight months.
Vonn is expected to be ready in time for the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, which are atill a year away. The Olympian won the Olympic downhill title at the 2010 Vancouver Games and is expected to defend her win.
The skier received treatment on the slope and locally before flying home to Vail following being airlifted away from the crash. The injury was another setback for the world record skier, who has dealt with an illness earlier in the World Cup season. She recovered to win two straight races, but suffered the gruesome injury and will be sidelined for months.
Vonn has dealt with injuries at her last six major championships, including a thumb injury suffered after cutting it on a champagne bottle among others. She was helped along by her reported boyfriend Tiger Woods, who gave her a private jet ride home following her injury.
According to TMZ.com, Vonn was seen getting on Woods' private plane in Austria days after suffering torn knee ligaments after crashing at the Alpine World Championships in Schladming on Tuesday. She was airlifted away from the slope and brought to the hospital in the area, where she received medical attention to her knee.
"They've been seeing each other for the past 9 months or so regularly," a source said to Us Weekly.
The 37-year-old golfer won at Torrey Pines last week and the relationship with Vonn would be the highest profile relationship he has had since divorcing from his wife Elin Nordegren in 2010 following his cheating scandal.
HERE is a PHOTO of Vonn getting on the plane.
According to the Associated Press, Vonn injured herself after losing balance on her right leg after landing from a jump. Her ski came off her foot right away and forced Vonn to slide off the course and crash into a gate. She received medical attention on the slope for over 10 minutes and was brought to the hospital.
Vonn was on a hot streak, winning two straight races before being injured and her divorce from her husband Thomas Vonn was recently finalized. The Olympian said afterwards that she "will not participate in any speculation surrounding her personal life at this time," she said in a statement last month.
