Olympic skiing legend Lindsey Vonn gave fans a raw, unfiltered glimpse into her grueling recovery on Friday, sharing that her latest surgery—a marathon session lasting just over six hours—successfully stabilized her severely fractured tibia. The 41-year-old, who crashed dramatically during the women’s downhill at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, revealed the procedure required “a lot of plates and screws” to reconstruct her leg.
Vonn, who has undergone multiple operations since the February incident (this being one of several), posted an update admitting the post-op pain has been “hard to manage.” She’s still hospitalized, unable to be discharged yet, but remains optimistic: “Making slow progress… almost there. Baby steps.”
The injury—a complex tibial fracture—has sidelined the five-time Olympic medalist indefinitely, with experts noting that such trauma often demands staged surgeries due to swelling, soft-tissue damage, and bone alignment needs. Vonn praised her surgeon, Dr. Hackett, for an “incredible job” piecing her back together amid the extensive hardware.
Fans flooded social media with support, praising her toughness and resilience. Vonn, a trailblazer in women’s skiing, has vowed to share more details about the injury soon. For now, her message is clear: recovery is underway, one small step at a time.
