Lindsey Vonn is back in the United States, but she’s still coming to terms with the seriousness of the injury she suffered in a crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The 41-year-old skier shared that she has returned home after spending time in a hospital in Treviso, Italy, where she underwent four surgeries following her Feb. 8 crash. In an Instagram video posted Tuesday, Feb. 17, she documented the lengthy transfer — from intensive care to ambulances, onto a private plane, and then to a hospital back in the U.S. — all while remaining in a hospital bed.
“My leg is still in pieces…but I’m finally home,” Vonn wrote, thanking the medical teams who helped her make the journey. She added that she’s looking ahead to another surgery, when doctors can remove an external fixator from her leg, which she said should allow her to move more easily.
Vonn also said she hasn’t fully processed what recovery will involve.
“My injury was a lot more severe than just a broken leg,” she wrote. “I’m still wrapping my head around it, what it means and the road ahead… but I’m going to give you more detail in the coming days.”
Earlier Tuesday, she posted on X that being back in the U.S. “feels amazing,” though she noted she is not yet able to stand.
Vonn’s crash during the women’s downhill final in Cortina d’Ampezzo resulted in a complex tibia fracture. She required multiple surgeries in Italy before doctors cleared her to be flown back to the United States.
In a separate post over the weekend, Vonn said she knowingly accepted the risk of competing while dealing with a torn ACL.
“I was willing to risk and push and sacrifice for something I knew I was absolutely capable of doing,” she wrote. “I will always take the risk of crashing while giving it my all, rather than not ski to my potential and have regret. I never want to cross the finish line and say, ‘what if?’ ”
She also suggested she hopes to return to the sport again, hinting that she intends to be “on the top of the mountain once more.”
