02/13/26 11:44:00
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02/13 11:42 CST Lindsey Vonn hopes to go home after another surgery following
crash in Olympic downhill
Lindsey Vonn hopes to go home after another surgery following crash in Olympic
downhill
By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) --- Lindsey Vonn will have another surgery on her
broken left leg Saturday at the Italian hospital treating her "and then I can
potentially leave and go back home."
Vonn posted a video message on Instagram on Friday following her horrific crash
in the Olympic downhill race at the Milan Cortina Games.
"Hey guys, I just wanted to give you a little update and say thank you so much
to everyone that has been sending me flowers and letters," Vonn said, adding
that she has also received stuffed animals, including a shark pillow that she
was resting her head on in the video. "It's just been so amazing and really
helped me a lot.
"It has been quite a hard few days in the hospital here. I'm finally feeling
more like myself. I have a long, long way to go. Tomorrow I'll have another
surgery and hopefully that goes well and then I can potentially leave and go
back home, at which point I will need another surgery. Still don't know exactly
what that entails yet until I get some better imaging, but it's kind of where I
am right now."
Vonn is being treated at a hospital in Treviso.
"And yup, that's a bruise under my eye," Vonn added in a written message in her
post. "Almost gone though!"
The 41-year-old Vonn crashed 13 seconds into her run during Sunday's race and
was airlifted off the course by helicopter. The American skiing standout said
late Monday she had suffered a "complex tibia fracture that is currently stable
but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly."
She said on Wednesday that she had a "successful" third surgery.
Nine days before Sunday's crash, Vonn ruptured the ACL in her left knee in
another crash. Even before then, all eyes had been on her as the feel-good
story heading into the Olympics for her comeback after nearly six years of
retirement.
In her latest post, Vonn said she is "very much immobile but I have a lot of
friends and family that have been coming to visit."
"I feel very lucky and fortunate to have so many people around me that have
really helped me get through this so I just wanted to say thank you and go Team
USA," Vonn said. "It's so great to watch and really lifted my spirits. Good
job, team, and keep crushing it. I'll check in with you guys when I can."
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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