Lindsey Vonn gave fans a thumbs up in the first photos from the hospital after a heartbreaking crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics resulted in a broken leg for the skier.
“I had my 3rd surgery today and it was successful,” Vonn, 41, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, February 11, sharing pictures from her Ca’ Foncello hospital bed in Treviso, Italy.
The professional athlete confessed, “Success today has a completely different meaning than it did a few days ago,” following her crash on the women’s downhill.
Vonn revealed she’s “making progress and while it is slow, I know I’ll be OK.”
She shared three photos with fans, including one of Vonn laying in bed with rods and bars in her left leg following the surgery. The second snap showed the skier talking with a physician with a smile on her face as Vonn appeared to thank the medical team.
Vonn also posted a photo of flowers she’s received following her accident that filled two racks in the hospital.
“[I’m] thankful for all of the incredible medical staff, friends, family, who have been by my side and the beautiful outpouring of love and support from people around the world,” Vonn continued.
She concluded by giving a shout-out to her fellow Olympic hopefuls. “Also, huge congrats to my teammates and all of the Team USA athletes who are out there inspiring me and giving me something to cheer for. ❤️🤍💙,” Vonn added.
Team USA supporters and fans across the world have been following Vonn’s road to the 2026 Winter Olympics for weeks after she tore her ACL at a World Cup race in Switzerland on January 30.
“After extensive consultations with doctors, intense therapy, physical tests as well as skiing today, I have determined I am capable of competing in the Olympic Downhill on Sunday,” Vonn said on February 1, noting she planned to race even without her ACL. “Of course I will still need to do one training run, as is required to race on Sunday, but… I am confident in my body’s ability to perform. Despite my injuries my knee is stable, I do not have swelling and my muscles are firing and reacting as they should.”
Fans waited with bated breath for Vonn to take the slope on Sunday, February 8, for her women’s downhill run. Unfortunately, tragedy struck 13 seconds into her run when Vonn crashed and was eventually airlifted from the course to an Italian hospital.
Vonn “underwent an orthopedic operation to stabilize a fracture reported in her left leg” and is being “treated by a multidisciplinary team,” according to a statement released by the Ca’ Foncello hospital on Sunday.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team said at the time that Vonn was “in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.”
Vonn issued a statement on Monday, February 9, about the crash after hoping to take home more medals for Team USA and add to her one gold and two bronze from games prior.
“Yesterday my Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would,” Vonn shared via Instagram. “It wasn’t a story book ending or a fairy [tale], it was just life. I dared to dream and had worked so hard to achieve it. Because in Downhill ski racing the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as 5 inches.”
The Olympic athlete explained that she was “simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash.”
Vonn pointed out, “My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever. Unfortunately, I sustained a complex tibia fracture that is currently stable but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly.”
“While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets,” she continued. “Standing in the starting gate yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.”
Vonn looked back at her journey with pride, saying, “And similar to ski racing, we take risks in life. We dream. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall. Sometimes our hearts are broken. Sometimes we don’t achieve the dreams we know we could have. But that is the also the beauty of life; we can try.”
She concluded: “I tried. I dreamt. I jumped. I hope if you take away anything from my journey it’s that you all have the courage to dare greatly. Life is too short not to take chances on yourself. Because the only failure in life is not trying. I believe in you, just as you believed in me.”
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