Lindsey Vonn’s bid for another Olympic gold medal was cut short in brutal fashion on Sunday as she suffered a terrifying crash early in her downhill run at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics.
Just nine days before she took the slopes for her opening event, Vonn tore her ACL on a training run. The 41-year-old Olympic legend chose to ski through this injury — and her worst fears were realized on Sunday.
Vonn was airlifted off the slope and transferred to a nearby hospital where she underwent surgery to repair her broken left leg.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team released a statement confirming that Vonn is in stable condition on Sunday, but Vonn herself wasn’t heard from until her first social media post on Monday.
Vonn responded to a lengthy social media post from journalist Dan Walker, who lauded her decision to compete in the games despite her torn ACL.
“Thank you, Dan,” Vonn wrote.
Vonn shared a lengthy social media post just before taking the slopes for her downhill event.
“Just getting to these Olympics has been a journey, and one that some did not believe in from the start. I retired for 6 years, and because of a partial knee replacement, I had the chance to compete one more time,” she wrote on Instagram.
“But why? Everyone seems to be asking me that question. But I think the answer is simple… I just love ski racing.”
“I will race tomorrow in my final Olympic Downhill and while I can’t guarantee a good result, I can guarantee I will give it everything I have,” she added. “But no matter what happens, I have already won.”
Read the full article here
