Lindsey Vonn has revealed that her dog Leo died the day after she crashed in the women's downhill at the Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo. The 41-year-old skier had been a major contender but clipped a gate and fell heavily seconds into her run, requiring an airlift to hospital. She has since undergone multiple surgeries on a complex leg fracture and returned to the US earlier this week for further treatment.
Vonn had already suffered a serious injury just nine days before the Olympics, tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a crash in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Despite this, she resolved to compete in Cortina before her latest crash ended her chances.
In an Instagram post, Vonn paid tribute to 13-year-old Leo, who had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. She wrote: 'This has been an incredibly hard few days. Probably the hardest of my life. I have still not come to terms that he is gone. The day I crashed, so did Leo. He had been recently diagnosed with lung cancer but now his heart was failing him.'
Vonn added: 'As I laid in my hospital bed the day after my crash, we said goodbye to my big boy. I had lost so much that meant something to me in such a short amount of time. My boy has been with me since my second ACL surgery, when I needed him most.' She confirmed she was heading in for more surgery, saying she would be thinking of Leo.
