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US Winter Olympics star Lindsey Vonn has responded to a claim from a medical doctor about the severity of her knee injury. Vonn was airlifted to hospital on January 30 after suffering a ruptured ACL injury in a crash at a World Cup event in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, just days before the start of the Olympics in Italy.

Despite the injury, skiing icon Vonn has been determined to still compete this month and confirmed earlier this week her plans to still feature at the Winter Olympics and represent the United States.

The 41-year-old stepped up her preparations for the event by taking part in practice on Friday ahead of the downhill competition, which gets underway this weekend.

This led to a claim from Brian Sutterer, MD, a sports medicine doctor based in the United States, giving his verdict on Vonn's injury.

Sutterer has explained why he has questions about the injury suffered by Vonn, which was a ruptured ACL, ahead of the Winter Olympics.

"There's a very important aspect of this that we do not know," wrote Sutterer on X, formerly known as Twitter. "What was the state of her ACL before the crash last week?

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"What she is doing now would not be nearly as surprising in an elite athlete whose knee was already functioning like the ACL was torn at baseline. When you hear stories about 'so-and-so played for years on a torn ACL', that's chronic, meaning the body has time to adapt and retrain muscles to support the knee.

"Also, someone who had a prior tear/surgery may not be as swollen and painful with a repeat injury. Bottom line, I don't think this was a bread and butter, fresh ACL tear like everyone is thinking."

Less than two hours later, Vonn responded to the claim and stated that her ACL is '100% gone'.

"Lol thanks doc. My ACL was fully functioning until last Friday," Vonn wrote.

"Just because it seems impossible to you doesn't mean it's not possible. And yes, my ACL is 100% ruptured. Not 80% or 50%. It's 100% gone."

Sutterer then concluded the conversation by offering his best wishes to Vonn, whilst explaining why he questioned the severity of the skiing star's injury.

"Any prior ACL injuries in that knee? If so, the knee can absolutely learn to compensate in a very functional way," Sutterer wrote. "I'm not trying to minimise your accomplishment, it's insanely impressive.

"As a sports medicine doctor who takes care of high level athletes and everyday folks, there is some nuance in how quickly people can function after an ACL tear and that's what I'm curious about as we communicate stories like this to the public. Best of luck, I truly am rooting for you."