Lindsey Vonn has torn her ACL but will compete in the Winter Olympics

But the injury casts doubt on whether she will be able to compete and Vonn admitted that just getting to the starting gate on Sunday would be a “pretty good comeback if I can pull it off.”

She said: “This is not unknown to me, I have done this before. I wish I was not in this situation but I will do my best.”

“I won’t go home regretting not trying, I’ll do everything I can to be in the starting gate.”

Vonn said she skied in Cortina on Tuesday and her knee felt good with no pain, but added that she won’t know for sure how she feels until she skis down the slope.

“I know how I felt in my knee after previous injuries in the gym and what I felt in all the physical tests, and I can say that I feel much better now than I did in the past,” she said.

She added that she will take things “one day at a time” and does not know if she will be able to compete in the team and Super-G events, which will be held on February 10 and 12, respectively.

Vonn was skiing in the downhill event at the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday when she lost control of herself after jumping.

She says that in addition to the torn ACL, she also has bruising and damage to her meniscus.

The event was eventually canceled due to adverse weather conditions, and Vonn was the third skater to crash.

Vonn’s illustrious career, which includes an Olympic gold medal and two bronze, has been plagued by injuries but she has no fear that her task in Cortina will become more difficult.

“I’m a week away from something I never thought was possible. This is all just the icing on the cake. I never expected to be here,” she said.

“I felt like this was a great opportunity to wrap up my career the way I wanted, things didn’t quite go the way I wanted but I don’t want any regrets.

“I’ll do it, end of story. I’m not going to let myself go down that path – I’m not crying, my head is held high, I’m standing tall and I’m going to do my best and whatever the outcome is, it is what it is.”

Physiotherapist Ben Warburton, brother of Welsh rugby union legend Sam, spoke to BBC Sport about Vonn’s situation.

“I think if she had been 21 years old, the conversation would have been different,” he said.

“You have three main ligaments in your knee, the ACL being one of them. The other three out of the four now have to work overtime to keep her knee stable, along with her muscular system. Even with them all working overtime, it won’t be as stable as it was before the injury.”

“She must be thinking: If I get injured again, I’ve already had a long rehab for my ACL, what’s the other ligament?”

“She’s clearly willing to risk some of her knee health and thinks it’s worth it.”