CORTINA D'AMPEZZO — American ski racer Lindsey Vonn has undergone eight surgeries and faces at least one more operation to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament after sustaining a complex left leg fracture in a crash during the women's downhill at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 8, 2026, in Cortina d'Ampezzo. The injury nearly led to the amputation of her leg.

Vonn, 41, ended a six-year absence from competitive skiing to race at the Games. She had led the World Cup downhill standings in the 2025-2026 season and had not finished worse than fourth in any race before the crash.

"It's a much different injury in that way, again, like the severity of the injury and understanding that I could have lost my leg and how bad things were. I can deal with a lot of pain, but this was so extreme. It's not even been in the universe of pain with this injury as what I've had before," Vonn said.

During her initial CT scan, she experienced compartment syndrome and intense pain, screaming to be removed from the machine. She spent two and a half weeks alone in the hospital following the crash, describing the experience as a significant challenge and saying she was nearly entirely dependent on others for basic needs.

She has since progressed from a wheelchair to crutches and is expected to begin walking short distances the following week. She was photographed being pushed through Los Angeles International Airport in a wheelchair. She said the previous month had included difficult moments but that she felt she was reaching milestones and moving closer to resuming normal life.

Vonn has not yet discussed a potential return to skiing with her doctor. Any return to competition would not occur before the 2027-28 season, as she still requires surgery to remove metal hardware and repair her ACL, followed by approximately six months of recovery — a total of at least a year and a half before she could return to full training.

"I just don't want to jump to any conclusions or even speculate on what I might do. I may retire. I may never race again, and that would be completely fine. But I'm not in a position emotionally to make that decision at this point," she said.