Lindsey Vonn crashes during training run

Olympic downhill champion Lindsey Vonn crashed in a training run Tuesday in Colorado, perhaps jeopardizing the most anticipated comeback effort heading into the Sochi Olympics in February.

“We have no reason to believe it’s anything significant right now,” U.S. Ski team spokesman Tom Kelly told the Associated Press.

Vonn reportedly was not hospitalized and was being evaluated at her Vail, Colo., home by Bill Sterett, her orthopedic surgeon.

Another spokesman said clarity on Vonn’s condition should be known within 24 hours.

Vonn, 29, was just returning to form after a right knee injury suffered in February at the world championships in Austria.

Vonn required surgery and spent six weeks on crutches after tearing ligaments. She also suffered a fractured tibia.

It was not immediately known whether Tuesday’s injury was related to her previous injury. Tuesday’s crash was first reported by skiracing.com.

Vonn vowed at the time of her February crash she would return in time for the 2014 Olympics and was believed to be well ahead of schedule.

“I worked hard for a reason,” Vonn said after a Nov. 8 training session at Vail. “I definitely think I will be ready.”

Vonn crashed Tuesday on the ski team’s training hill at Copper Mountain, Colo.

Vonn on Monday posted on Twitter a photo just as she was about to leave the start gate on a training run.

Vonn skipped her first World Cup event in Austria with an eye on returning for races in Beaver Creek, Colo., the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Vonn said in Vail less than two weeks ago that her training for downhill was behind schedule but her super-giant slalom was so good she felt she was already ready to win in that discipline.

“Yes,” Vonn said, “I’m saying that.”

Vonn’s longtime ski team teammate and rival Julia Mancuso, the 2006 Olympic giant slalom champion, tweeted a message of support after Tuesday’s news.

“Lets all send Lindsey Vonn our positivity and hope for the best,” Mancuso wrote.

Vonn is a four-time World Cup overall champion and her 59 World Cup victories are the most in U.S. alpine history. Bode Miller is second with 33 victories.

Vonn needs four victories to surpass Austrian great Annemarie Moser-Proll’s World Cup record of 62 victories.

Vonn joked in Vail that she and her boyfriend, Tiger Woods, are in pursuit of major records. Woods is five victories shy of surpassing Jack Nicklaus’ golfing record of 18 professional major championships.

“We’re both chasing the same thing,” Vonn said.

Vonn has rebounded from several injuries in her career. She took an awful training spill at the 2006 Olympics in Turin but still competed in all of her events, although she failed to earn a medal.

Vonn limped into the 2010 Olympics with a badly bruised shin yet won the gold medal in downhill and the bronze in super-G.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com