Vonn Faces Uncertain Future After Olympic Crash
American alpine skier Lindsey Vonn has said she remains profoundly uncertain about her future in the sport, months after suffering a catastrophic leg injury at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The 41-year-old crashed just 13 seconds into the women's downhill event in February 2026, sustaining a complex tibia fracture that nearly resulted in an amputation. She has since undergone eight surgeries— almost as many as she had accumulated across her entire previous career— and requires at least one more procedure to reconstruct her torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) . I may never race again and that would be completely fine, but I'm not in a position emotionally to make that decision at this point, she told The Associated Press.
The crash ended what had been a remarkable comeback season. Vonn had returned to competition after a six-year absence, drawn partly by the chance to race at Cortina— one of her favourite venues— ahead of it hosting the Games. She was leading the World Cup downhill standings and had not finished outside the top four in any race when she fell. The pain from this injury, she said, surpassed anything she had previously experienced: It's not even been in the universe of pain with this injury as what I've had before. Her father, Alan Kildow, publicly declared her career should be over, but Vonn refused to cede the decision to him. If you tell me not to do something, I'm gon na do it, she said.
Recovery is progressing, though more slowly than Vonn would like. She has moved from a wheelchair to crutches and expects to be walking short distances unaided within days. She has not yet discussed a return to competition with her doctors, but outlined a minimum timeline: after ACL surgery and at least six months of rehabilitation, any realistic return to racing could not come before the 2027-28 season. The holder of 84 World Cup victories— second in the all-time women's rankings behind only her compatriot Mikaela Shiffrin (110) — says she is focused for now on recovery. I'm still in survival mode, she said. I just want to get through this phase.