Olympic skiing legend Lindsey Vonn is facing one of the toughest battles of her storied career after a devastating crash at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics left her with a complex tibia fracture.
The 41-year-old posted a graphic X-ray of her left leg on social media, revealing an array of plates and more than a dozen screws holding the bone together following her latest procedure—a grueling six-hour surgery performed by her longtime orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Tom Hackett.
“As you can see, it required a lot of plates and screws to put back together but Dr Hackett did an incredible job,” Vonn wrote. “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.”
She added that the pain has been “hard to manage” during recovery, but she’s making slow progress and hopes to leave the hospital soon.
The surgery marks her fifth since the terrifying Feb. 8 crash in the Olympic downhill, where Vonn hooked a gate with her right arm, spun violently, and tumbled hard into the packed snow. She was airlifted off the mountain after lying prone for about 13 minutes, in visible agony as fans watched in stunned silence.
This comes on top of four initial surgeries in Italy, where she spent eight days hospitalized before flying back to the United States earlier this week. Vonn described the injury as “a lot more severe than just a broken leg,” with her tibia shattered in multiple places and significant soft tissue damage.
Adding to the challenge, the crash happened just days after Vonn had already torn her left ACL and suffered meniscus damage and bone bruising in a separate World Cup fall on Jan. 30. She pushed through intense rehab to compete in her fifth Olympics, even posting strong training times despite the knee issues and a partial right knee replacement from past injuries.
Vonn, a three-time Olympic medalist (one gold, two bronze), had been dominating the downhill circuit this season with podium finishes in all five races, including two wins. Her determination to race despite the risks has drawn widespread admiration—and heartbreak—across the skiing world.
Fans and fellow athletes have flooded social media with support, praising her resilience. As Vonn puts it, she’s “bionic for real now,” taking baby steps toward what promises to be a long road to recovery.
Stay tuned for more updates on the skiing icon’s journey.
