Lindsey Vonn is continuing her long recovery following her devastating crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics, revealing that she is finding the process “challenging” after undergoing yet another major surgery.
The 41-year-old skiing legend shared an update from her hospital bed on Friday, Feb. 20, marking her fifth surgery since the accident.
“Made it through surgery… it took a bit more than six hours,” Vonn wrote on Instagram. “As you can see, it required a lot of plates and screws to put everything back together, but Dr. Hackett did an incredible job.”
Her post included a video from the hospital, along with images of the medical hardware used in the procedure and X-rays showing her tibia reinforced with metal plates and screws.
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Despite the successful operation, Vonn admitted that the recovery has not been easy.
“With the extent of the trauma, I’ve been struggling a bit post-op and haven’t yet been discharged from the hospital… almost there,” she shared. “Baby steps.”
She added that she plans to provide more details about the injury and its implications soon.
Vonn had already undergone four surgeries while in Italy after being airlifted to a hospital in Treviso following her crash during the women’s downhill event on Feb. 8. She suffered a complex tibia fracture, requiring multiple procedures before doctors deemed it safe for her to return to the United States. Earlier this week, she was flown back via private plane while confined to a hospital bed.
Upon arriving home, Vonn disclosed that her injury was more serious than initially believed.
“My injury was a lot more severe than just a broken leg,” she wrote on Feb. 17. “I’m still trying to process what it means and the road ahead, but I’ll share more details in the coming days.”
In a separate post, Vonn also addressed the risks she knowingly accepted by competing despite a torn ACL.
“I chose to take a risk,” she explained. “I was willing to push and sacrifice for something I knew I was capable of doing. I would always rather risk crashing while giving it my all than hold back and live with regret. I never want to cross the finish line thinking, ‘what if?’”
