LOS ANGELES — Even with her current understanding, Lindsey Vonn would undertake the same path once more. She would re-enter competitive skiing following half a dozen years away from the sport. She would participate in the Olympic downhill event in Cortina d’Ampezzo at forty-one years old, despite having ruptured her ACL a fortnight prior and enduring a severe collision merely thirteen seconds into the contest, which almost cost the five-time Olympian her left limb.
“Regardless of my years, I possessed strength and preparedness,” Vonn conveyed to ESPN on Tuesday during her initial televised discussion beyond her residence in Park City, Utah, since the Games concluded. “I committed a minor mistake, and for that, I bore the cost, yet I would undertake it anew given the opportunity. Despite the current difficulties I face, and numerous deeply disheartening periods, I harbor no remorse.”
Prior to the 2026 Olympic Games, Vonn held the premier global ranking among downhill skiers. She had triumphed in a pair of World Cup events and secured a top-three finish in three additional competitions. However, during the ultimate World Cup downhill contest leading up to the Olympics, held in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, she experienced a fall, and subsequently, she disclosed having “fully ruptured” the ACL in her left limb. Regardless of this setback, Vonn affirmed her readiness to compete in Cortina. She recorded the third-quickest performance during practice sessions a day prior to the Olympic championship.
Approaching two months post her devastating collision, following five surgical procedures, a fortnight’s hospitalization in Italy, and relying on a wheelchair for over a month, Vonn can currently ambulate for brief periods with the aid of crutches. Her daily rehabilitation regimen exceeds two hours, with an emphasis on achieving minor advancements, such as performing chin-ups at the fitness center.
“My contentment will stem from simply resuming a regular existence,” stated Vonn, present in Los Angeles to champion an informative initiative alongside the biopharmaceutical firm Invivyd, centered on immune responses and averting illness. “One truly undervalues everyday activities such as bathing, transporting objects, rising daily, and preparing one’s own morning meal. Presently, these actions remain beyond my capability.”
Vonn reported her fractured right ankle has recuperated and the intricate breaks in her left limb are healing. “My musculature is in excellent condition; I possess command. However, an additional operation is required to extract the surgical implants, concurrently addressing the ACL repair,” she explained, noting her readiness for an extended period of recuperation. Nevertheless, this does not imply she has dismissed the prospect of returning to a starting gate in the future.
“For the preceding two years, my concentration was intensely directed towards the Olympic Games, to the extent that I have yet to fully internalize the conclusion of my Olympic journey. My current competitive period has ended. It is possible I will never compete anew,” Vonn stated. “However, I have abstained from making any future decisions, as I must first come to terms with the events of the last six weeks.”