Olympic skiing icon Lindsey Vonn is confronting what she describes as the toughest fight of her storied career—not just on the slopes, but in the raw aftermath of a devastating injury and heartbreaking personal loss.
The 41-year-old three-time Olympic medalist revealed the depth of her struggle in a poignant social media update, sharing that the days since her terrifying crash at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics have been among the most difficult of her life. Compounding the physical pain from a complex tibia fracture is the emotional blow of losing her beloved dog, Leo, just one day after the accident.
“2/9/2026 ✝️💔 Leo passed away. The day after my crash I said goodbye to my big boy as I laid in my hospital bed. Been some of the hardest days of my life and still have not begun to process his passing… I will always love you Leo ❤️🙏🏻,” Vonn posted, capturing the double weight of grief and recovery.
The crash occurred during the women’s Olympic downhill on Feb. 8, when Vonn hooked a gate, spun violently, and tumbled hard, suffering a severe tibial fracture that shattered her shin bone in multiple places with extensive soft tissue damage. Airlifted from the course after writhing in agony for over 13 minutes, she underwent four initial surgeries in Italy to stabilize the injury enough for safe travel home.
Now back in the United States, Vonn endured a fifth major procedure—a more than six-hour operation involving numerous plates and over a dozen screws to reconstruct her leg. Posting stark X-rays and hospital photos, she admitted the pain remains “hard to manage,” leaving her bed-bound and still hospitalized as she pushes through post-op challenges.
“Made it through surgery… it took a bit more than 6 hours to complete. As you can see, it required a lot of plates and screws to put back together but Dr Hackett did an incredible job,” Vonn shared. “With the extent of the trauma, I’ve been struggling a bit post op and have not yet been able to be discharged from the hospital just yet. Almost there. Baby steps.”
This latest setback follows a brutal pre-Olympic run: Just nine days before the Games, Vonn fully ruptured her left ACL with meniscus damage and bone bruising in a World Cup crash, yet powered through intense rehab to compete. She had dominated the downhill season with podiums in every race and two wins, skiing with a partial right knee replacement from prior injuries.
Despite the mounting physical toll, Vonn’s mental fortitude shines through. In earlier reflections, she emphasized racing without regrets, arriving at the Olympics in peak mental form—clear, focused, and aggressive. Fans and fellow athletes continue to rally around her, hailing her as the ultimate warrior.
As Vonn faces what promises to be a long, arduous road to recovery, her words resonate: this is the hardest battle she’s ever fought. But if her history of defying odds is any indication, the skiing legend isn’t backing down.
The world watches—and cheers—for every baby step forward. 💔➡️🔥
