Winter Olympics live: Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn battles through ACL rupture in women’s downhill

Switzerland’s Janine Schmitt goes into third, a second a half down on Raedler.

Former downhill word champion Breezy Johnson is up next, the first of the real favourites and first of the Americans. She won the second training run.

“Just carry a tiny little bit more with touch of higher speed,” is the radio message from the team.

Switzerland’s Jasmine Flury makes a mistake and loses her line for a moment, and that’s her chances gone. She looks gutted.

Brignone goes 0.09 seconds slower! The Italian crowd roars its approval and she punches the air, happy with that nevertheless after her recent struggles.

This is probably her worst event of the three she competes in so she’ll be full of confidence now for the rest of the Games after a decent run.

Austria’s Ariane Raedler flies down a huge 1.57 seconds quicker than Blanc, an impressive attacking run, and she seems more than happy with that.

Up next is home hope and three-time Olympic medallist Federica Brignone, who suffered a triple leg break at the end of last season but is certainly one to watch.

1.38.77 is the time Malorie Blanc sets; she doesn’t seem too thrilled and makes a cut-throat gesture at the finish.

Vonn is going 13th of the 36 racers today.

Lindsey Vonn is spotted, she fist-bumps someone on her walk up the slope.

Switzerland’s Maloric Blanc is the first skier to go. “Full throttle, we go all in, attack!” comes the team message on the radio.

It’s a stunning day in Cortina d’Ampezzo, and the conditions look perfect.

A reminder of the Olympia delle Tofane course: it’s 2,572m in length, with a 760m vertical drop, starting altitude of 2,320m and finish altitude of 1,560m. The athletes must go through 36 gates as they rocket down to the bottom.

We are five minutes out from the women’s downhill getting underway in Cortina!

Stay tuned for all the action, including Lindsey Vonn’s run, right here.

Lindsey Vonn may be the big story surrounding this event, but the fact remains that she will have to pull off something of a miracle to get on the podium with a ruptured ACL.

So, we turn our attention to the contenders.

Sofia Gogg joins Vonn as the other former Olympic champions in Cortina, while world champion Breezy Johnson is among the favourites.

Experienced German duo Emma Aicher and Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, second and third in the discipline rankings respectively, are also in with a good shout while Norwegian Kajsa Vickhoff Lie - previously twice on the podium in Cortina -and in-form Austrian Nina Ortlieb lead the outsiders.

Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is set for an extraordinary return to the slopes for the Winter Games, just days after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), with fellow American and former teammate Julia Mancuso declaring such a feat "definitely doable".

"Normally it happens in the beginning of the season and they have a lot of time to strength train and test it out," Mancuso, who is the same age as Vonn at 41, shared on Instagram.

"This is going to be unique because she’s going to be testing it in the training runs and we’re going to be watching it and experiencing it live with her."

Racing without an ACL, relying solely on a brace, "can be very difficult, but it’s definitely doable, especially with no swelling," Mancuso explained, acknowledging Vonn’s own admission that she would not be the same athlete as before the crash.

"She’s still going to try and do her best," Mancuso affirmed. "I think we’re going to live that experience with her ... hoping she can find the strength to finish the downhill course and hopefully get a good result."