Lindsey Vonn is preparing to fly back to the United States for further surgeries after fracturing her tibia in the Olympic downhill last week, according to the chief executive of the US Ski and Snowboard Association, Sophie Goldschmidt. Vonn has already undergone multiple operations in Italy to repair the complex fracture in her left leg.
Goldschmidt said medical staff had been coordinating Vonn's recovery and hoped to accompany her home. Spectators had hoped to see the 41-year-old win a medal despite a torn ACL in her left knee and a partial titanium replacement in her right knee, but she hooked a gate just 13 seconds into her run, resulting in a spinning crash.
Describing the incident, Goldschmidt said: “The impact, the silence, everyone was just in shock. And you could tell it was a really nasty injury.” She added that while danger is part of Alpine sports, it gives an appreciation for how superhuman the athletes are.
In an Instagram post, Vonn said she had no regrets. “I knew what I was doing. I chose to take a risk. Every skier in that starting gate took the same risk,” she wrote. “The ride was worth the fall. When I close my eyes at night I don’t have regrets and the love I have for skiing remains.”
Goldschmidt, who visited Vonn twice in hospital, said she was in a stable condition and not in pain. She praised Vonn as a role model, saying her impact on the sport had gone to a whole new level. Teammate Keely Cashman also defended Vonn against social media criticism, saying the crash was unrelated to her knee injuries and was caused by her arm hooking a gate at around 70mph.
