Lindsey Vonn pulled no punches in her latest update, admitting Tuesday that the leg fracture from her February 8 Olympic crash is “a lot more severe” than a typical broken bone—painting a grim picture of a lengthy, painful recovery that has fans worried.
In an Instagram post accompanying a video of her medical evacuation from Italy, the skiing superstar wrote: “My leg is still in pieces… My injury was a lot more severe than just a broken leg. I’m still wrapping my head around it, what it means and the road ahead…”
The complex tibial fracture—confirmed after Vonn hooked a gate early in her downhill run and cartwheeled down the slope—required four surgeries in an Italian hospital to stabilize the shattered shin bone and prevent further damage. She remains unable to stand or bear weight, with an external fixator (“X-fix”) still in place.
After a week in intensive care and hospital beds, Vonn was finally transported home via stretcher and private jet. “Intensive care unit ➡️ambulance➡️plane➡️ambulance ➡️🇺🇸hospital,” she detailed, thanking medical teams profusely and looking ahead to surgery to remove the device and begin moving again.
This setback compounds her recent ACL tear from pre-Olympic training, yet she competed anyway in what was meant to be her farewell Games. The brutal recovery timeline—multiple procedures, immobility, and uncertainty—has left observers stunned. Vonn vowed more details soon, but her candid words make clear: the road back will test even her legendary resilience.
