Lindsey Vonn marked her 42nd birthday on October 18 with a deeply personal Instagram post, reflecting on aging, resilience, and gratitude eight months after her devastating crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.
“Well… I’m another year older. 🎂🎉 Age is a funny thing…” the alpine skiing legend wrote. “My perspective of life at 30 was that (especially as an athlete) I was over the hill. But now that I’m in my 40’s I feel the knowledge of life that I have amassed makes me feel somehow much younger and more confident in who I am.”
She continued: “Despite my crash and all of the things that have happened to me, the good, the bad the ugly… I’m always thankful to be in this life. Thankful for all the love and support I’ve received. 🙏🏻❤️ cheers to another one!”
Vonn’s path to the 2026 Games had already been rocky. After coming out of a six-year retirement in 2024, she tore her ACL just over a week before the Olympics. She still competed for Team USA, only to suffer a horrific crash on her first official run that broke her ankle and caused a complex leg fracture. She has since undergone six surgeries, with ACL surgery planned for November.
Remarkably, she was recently named to the U.S. Alpine Ski Team’s 49-athlete roster for the 2026-27 season. If the upcoming surgery goes well, the comeback few expected could still materialize.
In the meantime, Vonn has leaned on the support of fans, her beloved dog Chance, and her new luxury ski apparel and lifestyle brand, Vonn Collective. Her birthday message captured the spirit of a champion who has faced more physical and mental setbacks in the past year than most people experience in a lifetime—and still finds reasons to celebrate.
