Lindsey Vonn talks about injuries after Olympic accident
Lindsey Vonn suffered a compound fracture in her tibia, which will require multiple surgeries.
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn has a compound fracture in her tibia that will require multiple surgeries.
Vonn made her first comments since her tragic Olympic downhill accident on Sunday, February 8, saying in an Instagram post that she was aware of the risks involved.
“Yesterday didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but despite the intense physical pain it caused me, I have no regrets,” Vonn said. “I’ll never forget the feeling of disbelief when I stood in the starting gate yesterday. To stand there with a chance to win was a victory in itself.
“We also knew that racing comes with risks. Racing has always been and continues to be an incredibly dangerous sport.”
Vonn clarified that the torn ACL had nothing to do with the accident. She injured her left knee on January 30 in another accident on the final downhill before the Milan-Cortina Olympics, which also left her with a bone bruise and a torn meniscus.
Skiing with a torn ACL is not unheard of, and Vonn said her knee is stable and strong. She underwent intensive rehabilitation between the accident and the Olympics, as well as pool training and plyometrics. She completed two training runs without any problems, recording the third fastest time on the second.
“In downhill ski racing, the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury is only 5 inches. When I overtightened my line by 5 inches, my right arm got caught on the inside of the gate and twisted, resulting in my crash,” Vonn wrote. “My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash.”
Vonn’s arm got caught in the fourth gate of the Olimpia delle Tofane course, and she was spun and thrown onto the hard, snow-covered track. She then fell several times before coming to a stop.
After being treated on the hill for about 13 minutes, Bong was loaded onto a helicopter and airlifted to a local hospital five minutes later. After tests there, she was transferred to Cafoncello Hospital in Treviso, about two hours away. She underwent surgery later that day, and the hospital and U.S. Ski Association announced her condition as stable.
“Just like 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 knew were available. But that’s the beauty of life: We can try,” Vonn wrote in an Instagram post.
“I tried. I dream. I jumped,” she said. “I hope you take away something from my journey, and that is that you have the courage to try big and bold. Life is too short not to give yourself a chance, because the only failure in life is not trying.”
Vonn is one of the greatest skiers of all time, a three-time Olympic medalist and 84 World Cup winners behind Mikaela Shiffrin and Ingemar Stenmark. Vonn was forced to retire in 2019 due to physical pain from a series of injuries to her right knee.
However, after undergoing partial knee replacement surgery in April 2024, Vonn felt so much better that she began thinking about returning.
“I retired in 2019 not because I didn’t want to continue racing, but because I thought my body couldn’t take it anymore,” Vonn told USA TODAY Sports in October. “So I feel like this could be a great moment to close this chapter of my life and move forward in a really exciting and peaceful way.”
Cortina was a big part of that.
Cortina has always been one of Bon’s favorite places. She won bronze in downhill in 2004, reaching her first World Cup podium, and 12 of her 84 World Cup wins came here. Skiing there in the Olympics seemed like a fitting end, even though it might be her last race.
“This is a very special place to me,” Vonn said in October. “If the Olympics weren’t in Colina, I don’t think I would have attempted this comeback. If it had been anywhere else, I would probably say it’s not worth it.”
“But for me, there’s something special about Corinna that always draws me back.”
Vonn returned to the World Cup circuit in 2024 with mixed results, but finished the season with a silver medal in the super-G at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho. After spending a full offseason training and fine-tuning his equipment, the 41-year-old Vonn continues to hit the ground running.
She won the first downhill of the season in St. Moritz and also won in Sauchensee. She was on the podium in all five downhill races and in two of the first three super-G races.
Vonn topped the downhill rankings, joining Mikaela Shiffrin as the only skiers to win nine titles in a single event in a season. Vonn also finished second in the super-G rankings and sixth overall.
What is a compound tibial fracture?
A tibia fracture is a fracture of the shin bone that requires urgent treatment. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “The tibia is some of the strongest bones in the body, and it typically takes significant force to break it.” “If you fracture your shin bone, you probably won’t be able to stand, walk, or put any weight on your foot.”
According to Yale Medicine, a compound fracture involves the fracture of multiple bones and damaged soft tissue. Symptoms include extreme pain, numbness, and in some cases, bones may protrude through the skin. Treatment includes stabilization and surgery.
