Lindsey Vonn Ready For Sochi Olympics, Tiger Woods' Girlfriend Believes She Can Win Again

Lindsey Vonn said that she is ready to compete in the 2014 Sochi Olympics after an impressive performance in her first series of races since sustaining a devastating ACL injury in February.

Vonn, who earlier this month announced that she would delay surgery on her right knee after sustaining another partial ACL tear, struggled in her first race in 10 months on Friday, finishing 40th in the downhill race.

The reigning Olympic downhill titlist bounced back on Saturday when she finished 11th before improving to fifth place on Sunday. Vonn clocked 1 minute and 23.71 seconds on Sunday, which is .85-second short of the time of winner Lara Gut.

After finishing fifth in the Super G, the 29-year-old American declared that she is ready for Sochi, while also expressing confidence that she can win again. But Vonn is still hoping to have a podium finish in a World Cup event before competing in the Olympics.

Vonn is looking to win during Friday's World Cup stop in St. Moritz, Switzerland and on the downhill event in Val d Isere, France on Dec. 21.

"I know I can win again," Vonn said in a USA Today interview. "I want to make sure I at least get on the podium once, if not win before going into Sochi. For me mentally I really want to have that in my back pocket."

But while Vonn is looking to have a strong finish in the upcoming World Cup events, she admitted that she might not push herself to the limit to avoid further damage on her surgically-repaired knee before the Sochi Olympics in February.

"I know that I'm skiing well so I don't need to push myself and push the limits to race as many races for Sochi. I'm ready for Sochi," Vonn declared. "I don't need to do a lot, just a couple more starts. But I really want to focus on Sochi and take the risk away from any long-term damage on my knee."