Vonn knows she is taking a risk by playing on Sunday, and even hit back on social media at doctors who insisted her injury was “not a new tear.”

She responded by saying her anterior cruciate ligament was “100 per cent torn” and was hoping to defy the odds by repeating her Olympic downhill gold medal in Vancouver in 2010.

Videos on social media showed her training in the gym after she said she had no pain or swelling in her knee, and said two successful runs in preparation for the race had given her, her team and fans confidence.

Chemie Alcott, a four-time Olympian from Britain, was moved by the BBC’s report and said she “couldn’t believe” it would end like this.

“What we saw [is] For healthy athletes, getting to the top of the slopes is really difficult. This is cruel for her family, her team and herself.

“We have to be realistic. The risks were so high. The risk she would take in a fall would be twice that. Her body wouldn’t be able to withstand it.”

Mr Olcott added that no one would be able to beat Johnson’s time of 1 minute 36.10 seconds as a significant delay would mean the snow on the slopes would start to melt in the midday sun.