Lindsey Vonn is preparing to fly home to the United States after multiple surgeries in Italy, with additional procedures ahead to repair a complex tibia fracture sustained in a dramatic crash during the women’s downhill at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, according to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s chief executive.
Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, told The Associated Press on Sunday, February 15, 2026, that the organization’s medical staff has been overseeing Vonn’s recovery since her high-speed incident on February 8. The team is coordinating her travel logistics, with plans to potentially accompany the 41-year-old skier back home.
Vonn, a three-time Olympic medalist and one of alpine skiing’s most accomplished athletes, crashed spectacularly just 13 seconds into her run on the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Already competing with a completely torn ACL in her left knee from a pre-Olympics training crash and a partial titanium replacement in her right knee, she hooked a gate, spun airborne, and tumbled down the Dolomite slope. She was airlifted to a hospital, where initial evaluations confirmed a complex but stable tibia fracture in her left leg requiring multiple interventions.
Over the following week, Vonn underwent several surgeries at Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso, Italy, to stabilize the injury and address complications. Her most recent procedure, reported as successful in social media updates around February 14, cleared her for discharge and international travel.
Goldschmidt, who visited Vonn twice in the hospital, described her condition as stable and pain-free. “We’re working through all of that at the moment,” Goldschmidt said. “We’ve got a great team around helping her and she’ll go back to the U.S. for further surgeries.”
Reflecting on the crash from her hospital bed, Vonn expressed no regrets about her bold return to competition at age 41, despite the risks. In an Instagram post late Saturday, she wrote: “When I think back on my crash, I didn’t stand in the starting gate unaware of the potential consequences. I knew what I was doing. I chose to take a risk. Every skier in that starting gate took the same risk… But just because I was ready, that didn’t guarantee me anything. Nothing in life is guaranteed. That’s the gamble of chasing your dreams, you might fall but if you don’t try you’ll never know.”
Goldschmidt, present at the event, recalled the moment: “The impact, the silence, everyone was just in shock. And you could tell it was a really nasty injury.” She praised Vonn’s resilience, noting that her actions have elevated her status as a role model. “What she’s done for our sports and the sport in general, her being a role model, has gone to a whole new level. You learn often more about people during these tough moments than when they’re winning.”
The crash overshadowed a strong showing for the U.S. Alpine team, which secured gold (Breezy Johnson in downhill), silver (Ryan Cochran-Siegle in super-G), and bronze medals (Jacqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan in team combined) on the day of Vonn’s incident.
As Vonn prepares for her flight home and continued treatment—including further imaging and at least one more surgery—her story continues to inspire. Recovery from such a fracture is expected to be lengthy, with full rehabilitation potentially spanning many months. Fans and the skiing community await her updates on progress and future plans.
