As Lindsey Vonn was airlifted off the slope at Crans-Montana nine days ago it looked like her hopes of a fourth Olympic medal were over. Those hopes had already looked unlikely a season and a half ago when she made her comeback after six years’ retirement. But she had proved everyone wrong multiple times already; it would be foolish to expect her not to do so again.

The Crans-Montana crash left her with a completely ruptured ACL in her left knee, a bone bruise and meniscus damage. It is only the latest in a litany of broken bones, concussions, and other serious injuries which have punctuated her career.

In her final race before retirement, the world championships downhill in 2019, she wore two knee braces to stabilise a torn lateral collateral ligament, three tibia fractures and a bone bruise. All of that couldn’t prevent her from winning bronze. In the 2013 world championships she tore her ACL and MCL in her right knee and fractured her tibia; later in 2013 she partially tore her right ACL again.

That only skims the surface; the thought of what else she could have achieved without those misfortunes probably keeps her rivals up at night.

And now, with one titanium knee – a knee replacement having fixed the pain that drove her to retire – and one completely destabilised one, she is still going.

Exactly a week after tearing the ACL she was on the start line for training at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo. She flew down the slope in one minute 40.33 seconds, 11th of 43 finishers, and visibly had more to give.

It was a restrained performance, assessing how the injury felt. “Let’s put it this way, she’s tough,” her coach, Aksel Lund Svindal, said.

And toughness might be Vonn’s single defining trait. More so than her superb athleticism, or her obvious innate talent, it is sheer grit which has carried her through a career dogged at every turn by injury and misfortune.

Toughness was what brought her back to competitive skiing after a six-year retirement. That, and the desire to see just how far she could still go, to push her body and her mind to the absolute limit. This week, that tired sporting cliche is, for once, literal.

She trained again on Saturday, appearing relaxed as she chatted to teammates beforehand. This time she crossed the line third, 0.37 between teammate and former world champion Breezy Johnson, who set the time to beat.

Lund Svindal said afterwards: “She was very calm when she came down. She didn’t talk about the knee at all. I figured that’s a good sign.”

Asked whether the 41-year-old is in a state to win, he said: “Good enough to win this race, hopefully. But her mental strength, I think that’s why she has won as much as she has.”

Teammate Mikaela Shiffrin, one of only two women more successful at World Cup level than Vonn, concurred: “If anyone can do it, she can do it,” she told the Washington Post this week.

There has been plenty of armchair diagnosis and dissection of Vonn’s injury this week, but it seems fair to give a woman whose body has repeatedly gone through the wars and still come out the other side, the final say.

Even making it to the start line is a huge physical and mental achievement. Of course Vonn won’t see it like that; she said this week that she is simply “a woman who loves to ski”.

She is here to get a medal, to win, to enjoy one more Olympic Games, on a slope where she has won a record 12 World Cups.

That athlete’s mentality won’t have shifted despite having a knee that is essentially held together by sheer willpower. Competing is impressive; a medal would be astounding.

Whatever happens on Sunday, Vonn has simply underlined the strength of character which has got her to the top of the sport, and proven once again how far true grit can get you.

On February 7, 2026, a Jimin-focused fan page, @jmpopbase, flagged a serious safety concern involving BTS’ Jimin. The alert pointed to an Instagram profile, @mytaekoo, known for Taehyung-related posts, which allegedly shared airport photos taken in Portugal. The images were accompanied by hostile captions implying close physical access. The text suggested future proximity as well.

It also referenced inflicting harm elsewhere, framed as revenge. The language compared Jimin’s treatment to what Taehyung allegedly faced earlier. The situation follows recent online threats aimed at Taehyung during BTS’ Lisbon visit. Soon after, fan spaces circulated screenshots of alleged private messages linked to someone called Helga. The individual was reportedly connected to two TikTok accounts, @sò-mel-jikook and @jikook_mel. She allegedly identified as a Jimin Jungkook shipper while expressing hostility toward Taehyung.

Those messages reportedly included violent statements, including physical attack and acid threat references. Portuguese fan accounts then claimed the same person was staying outside the group’s hotel. As discussions grew, posts also alleged a circulating video containing audible threats. While unverified, the claims triggered widespread alarm. Fans have since expanded their safety concerns, calling for stronger protection for Jimin as well.

“HYBE, TAKE ACTION NOW! This person is continuously insulting and threatening Jimin on IG without any fear. This is dangerous and cannot be ignored. We demand immediate investigation and proper protection for Jimin. His safety must come first,” an X user commented.

Many are urging others to report the account that is allegedly sending threats to Jimin.

Others are calling for protection for BTS overall after the group received back-to-back online threats.

BTS spotted in Portugal ahead of ARIRANG comeback

BTS were spotted in Portugal in early February, marking their first overseas work schedule after military service. The group reportedly reached Lisbon around February 3, which immediately sparked attention. The timing closely connects with preparations for their upcoming Korean album, ARIRANG, set to drop on March 20. While official details remain undisclosed, the trip is believed to involve filming visual or promotional content.

This overseas work fits into a larger comeback plan already in motion. The album represents their first full-group release post-enlistment. It is also expected to lead to renewed promotions and performances. A titular global tour is also planned to begin in April in Goyang.

Meanwhile, Portugal is not part of the officially announced stops on BTS’ ARIRANG world tour so far. The confirmed 2026-2027 schedule spans Asia, North America, Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia, but no cities in Portugal have been named yet. If additional shows are revealed later (particularly for 2027), the country may still be added to the lineup.