Article by Daniel Grigore – Published Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 07:39 / Updated Tuesday, February 10, 2026 07:40
Lindsey Vonn (41 years old) gave a first public reaction after the injury suffered on Sundayin the downhill event at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina. She competed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, and the fall left her with a fractured tibia, one that “will require multiple surgeries to properly repair.” He has already undergone a first surgical intervention.
Does the great American skier regret starting the downhill just over a week after tearing her ACL in the Crans-Montana World Cup stage? No, she insists, a reference to how she felt as she stood at the starting gate, waiting to start the descent.
In her message, Lindsey also claims that it wasn't the problem with her left knee that caused her fall on Sunday.
Lindsey Vonn, the first reaction after the fall at the Olympic Games: “Complex fracture of the tibia, will require several operations”
“Yesterday, my Olympic dream didn't end the way I dreamed. It wasn't a story ending or a fairy tale, it was simply life. I dared to dream and worked hard to succeed. Because in downhill skiing, the difference between a strategic route and a catastrophic injury can be only 15 centimeters.
I was just 6 inches too close to the mark when my right arm caught inside the gate, twisting me and causing me to fall. My ACL and previous injuries had nothing to do with this incident.
Unfortunately, I suffered a complex tibial fracture that is currently stable but will require multiple surgeries to properly repair.
Although yesterday did not end as I had hoped and despite the intense physical pain, I have no regrets. Standing at the starting gate yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I was there with a chance to win was a victory in itself. I also knew that running the race was a risk. It was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.
And just like downhill skiing, we take risks in life. we dream we love We jump. And sometimes we fall. Sometimes our hearts are broken. Sometimes we don't achieve the dreams we know we could have achieved. But that's also the beauty of life: we can try.
I tried. I dreamed I jumped.
I hope that if you stay with anything from my journey, it is the courage to dare enormously. Life is too short not to give yourself a chance. Because the only failure in life is not trying.
I believe in you as you have believed in me,” Lindsey wrote.
Who is Lindsey Vonn:
- At 41 years old, Vonn is one of the most titled female skiers in history. In addition to the 2010 Olympic downhill title, Lindsey Vonn has two other Olympic medals: a bronze, also in Vancouver, in the giant slalom, and another in the downhill in 2018.
- The American was also a double world champion in 2009, in Val D'Isere – also in her favorite events: downhill and super-G. Cortina, the host of this year's Olympic Games, has been the site of several significant moments in the athlete's career, including her first World Cup podium and the feat that took her to the most World Cup victories in history, a record that no longer belongs to her.
- This season, Vonn had two World Cup wins for a total of 84, as well as 5 other podium finishes.
