Olympic alpine skiing star Lindsey Vonn has opened up about feeling “nervous and anxious” as she prepared for her ninth surgery following a devastating crash at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
The 42-year-old American suffered a complex tibia fracture in the downhill after already tearing her ACL in a World Cup race the week before the Olympics. The injury required multiple operations and extensive rehabilitation. In recent days she documented her final pre-surgery training, posting gym footage with the caption “Last lifting sessions before surgery… LFG 💪,” and attended the LACMA Art+Film Gala in a purple sequined Gucci gown, noting it would be her last night in heels for a while.
Reports and her own updates indicated she was apprehensive about the latest procedure, which focused on removing plates and screws and addressing remaining ligament damage. Vonn has said she expects another six to nine months of recovery and physical therapy afterward while continuing to leave open the possibility of a return to competition.
The five-time Olympian, the first American woman to win Olympic downhill gold (Vancouver 2010) and the holder of a record 82 World Cup victories at the time of her 2019 retirement, returned after a partial knee replacement only to face the setback in Cortina. Throughout the process she has remained candid about both the physical toll and the mental challenge of repeated surgeries.
Her latest comments underscore the human side of a recovery that has stretched across months of operations, gym sessions, and high-profile appearances as she works to move past the most serious injury of her career.
