Lindsey Vonn has shared the first image of herself in hospital following the crash that ended her Olympic return in Cortina d’Ampezzo, revealing she has undergone a third surgery. “I had my 3rd surgery today and it was successful,” Vonn wrote on social media. “Thankful for all of the incredible medical staff, friends, family, who have been by my side and the beautiful outpouring of love and support from people around the world,” the legendary athlete added. She also added congratulations to her teammates “who are out there inspiring me and giving me something to cheer for.”
The post marks another chapter in what has been a dramatic and painful end to the 41-year-old’s Olympic dream. Vonn’s fifth Winter Games unraveled just 13 seconds into her downhill run. Starting in bib 13, she pushed aggressively from the gate and carried speed through the opening section before a gate on a roller caught her right hand. The hook threw her off balance; she was unable to recover and crashed heavily, landing on her back and tumbling down the course. Medical staff rushed to her side as she lay motionless. She was stretchered off the slope and airlifted to Treviso’s Ca’ Foncello hospital.
The fall came only a week after Vonn had torn her ACL in Crans-Montana. After evaluation with her team, she had chosen to compete in Cortina wearing a brace on her left knee, confident she could manage the injury. Following the Olympic crash, she clarified that her ACL history “had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever,” explaining she had been “five inches too tight” on her line when her arm hooked inside the gate.
Subsequent medical examinations revealed a complex fracture of her left tibia. She underwent immediate surgery in Italy and indicated that multiple procedures would be required to stabilize and repair the injury properly. This week’s operation was her third.
The tibia, or shinbone, is the larger of the two bones in the lower leg and bears the majority of body weight. A “complex” fracture generally refers to a break that may involve multiple fragments, extend into the knee or ankle joint, or be accompanied by soft-tissue damage. In high-energy sports like downhill skiing, these fractures are often the result of twisting forces combined with impact — exactly the kind of mechanism Vonn described when her upper body was pulled off line.
Treatment typically involves surgical fixation using plates, screws, or rods to stabilize the bone and allow it to heal in proper alignment. When multiple surgeries are required, it can be due to the fracture pattern, swelling, soft-tissue considerations, or staged reconstruction.
Recovery timelines vary significantly depending on severity and complications, but bone healing alone can take several months. For elite ski racers, returning to snow after a major tibial fracture often requires not just bone union but full restoration of strength, mobility, and confidence — a process that can extend well beyond initial healing.
Vonn has never shied away from acknowledging the dangers of her sport. After the crash, she reflected that “Racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.” She described standing in the Olympic start gate as a victory in itself and emphasized she had no regrets about competing.
Her return to the Games at age 41 and a slew of injuries had already been extraordinary. After a six-year absence from the World Cup and a partial knee replacement, Vonn fought her way back to the top level of the sport. Despite the Olympic injury, she remains the current downhill leader in the 2025–26 season standings, still mathematically in contention for the crystal globe.
Now, however, her focus has shifted from podiums to progress measured in smaller milestones. “Success today has a completely different meaning,” she wrote—a line that captures the emotional recalibration elite athletes often face after catastrophic injury.
From Olympic gold medals to hospital rooms, Vonn’s career has repeatedly been shaped by resilience. Her latest update suggests the road ahead will be long, but—in her own words—she knows she will be okay.
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