Lindsey Vonn is preparing to return to the United States for further surgery after fracturing her tibia in a dramatic crash during the Olympic downhill last week, the chief executive of the US Ski and Snowboard Association has confirmed.
Sophie Goldschmidt said the team’s medical staff had been coordinating Vonn’s recovery and hoped to accompany her back home. The 41-year-old has undergone multiple operations in Italy to repair the complex fracture in her left leg. “We’re working through all of that at the moment,” Goldschmidt said. “We’ve got a great team around helping her and she’ll go back to the US for further surgeries.”
Vonn crashed just 13 seconds into her run after hooking a gate, leaving spectators in shock. Goldschmidt, who was at the course, described the moment: “The impact, the silence, everyone was just in shock. And you could tell it was a really nasty injury.” She added that such incidents highlight the dangers of alpine sports, but also the extraordinary athleticism of competitors.
Despite the injury, Vonn expressed no regrets. In an Instagram post, she wrote: “When I think back on my crash, I didn’t stand in the starting gate unaware of the potential consequences. I knew what I was doing. I chose to take a risk. … The ride was worth the fall.” She urged fans not to feel sad, saying her love for skiing remains and she hopes to stand atop a mountain again.
Teammate Keely Cashman defended Vonn’s decision to race, dismissing suggestions that her torn ACL contributed to the crash. “She hooked her arm on the gate, which twisted her around. She was going probably 70mph, and so that twists your body around,” Cashman said. “It had nothing to do with her ACL, nothing to do with her knee.”
Goldschmidt visited Vonn in hospital and said she was stable and not in pain. She praised Vonn’s resilience, stating: “You learn often more about people during these tough moments than when they’re winning.” Vonn, who had already been racing with a torn ACL and a partial titanium knee replacement, remains determined to ski again.
