Lindsey Vonn to Undergo Surgery After Accident, Plans to Compete in Sochi Olympics

USMagazine, Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 6:00am (PST)

Lindsey Vonn won't be lying low following her accident during the Alpine Ski World Championships in Austria on Tuesday, Feb. 5 -- she's hard at work on her recovery. The Olympic gold medalist skier, 28, suffered two torn knee ligaments after falling in the super-G.

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"First off I want to say thank you to the amazing medical staff that cared for me," Vonn said in a statement to Us Weekly. "I plan on returning to Vail as soon as I can to have the necessary surgeries." 

"I am also grateful to my fans for the the outpouring of support, which has really helped me stay positive," she added. "I can assure you that I will work as hard as humanly possible to be ready to represent my country next year in Sochi."

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The United States ski team announced Vonn would miss the rest of this season, but is expected to compete in the 2013-14 World Cup in October and 2014 Sochi Olympics in Russia, The New York Times reports.

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Vonn tore both her anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in her right knee, and suffered a tibial fracture. She was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Austria, and released shortly after being examined.

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Lindsey Vonn to Undergo Surgery After Accident, Plans to Compete in Sochi Olympics