Lindsey Vonn Attempts Recovery From Latest Injury, While Her Winter Olympics Sponsors Wonder What's Next

Lindsey Vonn's most recent injury could not only put a crimp in her Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics plans, but could also affect her sponsors, who have invested millions of dollars in her success in Sochi.

Vonn was already going through months of intense rehabilitation after tearing the ACL and MCL in her right knee and fracturing her tibia in February's world championships in Schladming, Austria.

Vonn, who was ahead of schedule on her rehab as she prepared for the Sochi Olympics, which is less than three months away, partially tore her right ACL on Tuesday, and pulled out of next weekend's World Cup tour stop in Beaver Creek, Colo. Vonn hopes to return to competition in two weeks in Lake Louise, Alberta, with her doctor releasing a statement saying that she is recovering from abrasions to her face and contusions to her shoulder blades, according to USA Today.

"Beyond that, she has a stable knee with an MRI finding of a partial tear of her ACL graft," said Dr. Bill Sterett in the statement. "With therapy, she is progressing well while not losing any of the strength she worked so hard to achieve."

Vonn's sponsors - companies such as Under Armour, Head, Red Bull, Oakley, and Rolex - will be relieved to hear that her injury may not affect her participation in the Winter Games, having invested big money in her Olympic success - an approximate $3 million, according to Forbes - to help market their products. Vonn is a proven winner, having won the overall World Cup championship four times, only the second woman to accomplish that feat, as well as Olympic gold in the 2010 downhill competition.

"I think the fact that no one knows yet whether she'll be back will keep her front and center in the news media," said Olympic marketing expert Rob Prazmark, the CEO of 21 Marketing, to USA Today. "That's good for sponsors and for NBC. Everybody loves a comeback story and if Lindsey Vonn can compete it will be one of the all-time greatest."

NBC was also featuring Vonn's comeback as part of their advertising plans for the 2014 Winter Games. But according to Bob Dorfman, executive creative director at San Francisco's Baker Street Advertising, should Vonn suffer a set back in her recovery from her injuries that prevents her from competing in the Sochi Games, the skiing champion does has options.

"Considering that Vonn is being called 'the face of the Sochi Games,' not competing would be rather disastrous for her and her marketers," Dorfman said to Bloomberg Businessweek. "If she doesn't compete, I guarantee NBC will give her plenty of face time: in the broadcasting booth for ski events, as a roving reporter in the Olympic Village, Today show correspondent, anywhere and everywhere."

Vonn has not let her recent setback bring her down and remains extremely confident she will be hitting the slopes as opposed to working in a broadcast booth.

"Rehab is going well and I am working as hard as I can to race in Lake Louise in a few weeks," wrote Vonn to her fans on her Facebook page on Friday. "Don't worry guys, this is only a temporary setback. Nothing will keep me from picking myself back up and continuing to fight for my dreams."