Vonn medical update: broken left leg and surgery after Olympic downhill crash

The U.S. team released a stark medical update mid-afternoon. “Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery to stabilise a fracture in her left leg following her crash,” read the brief statement, confirming the seriousness of the injury and intensifying doubts about her competitive future.

Vonn, 41, lost control almost immediately after leaving the start gate, clipping a gate with her right shoulder and cartwheeling violently down the Olympia delle Tofane course. She came to rest awkwardly on her back, skis crossed beneath her, as medical staff rushed to her aid. A hush fell over the finish area as she was treated on the slope before being strapped to a stretcher and airlifted away, the second time in nine days she had required helicopter evacuation.

Vonn undergoes surgery

She was first taken to a clinic in Cortina and later transferred to Ca’ Foncello hospital in Treviso. The hospital said she was treated by a multidisciplinary team and underwent an orthopaedic operation to stabilise the fracture. The U.S. Ski Team said she was in stable condition and “in good hands” with American and Italian doctors.

“She’ll be OK, but it’s going to be a bit of a process,” said Anouk Patty, chief of sport for U.S. Ski and Snowboard. “This sport’s brutal. These athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain at incredible speed.”

Sad end to one of the stories of the 2026 Winter Olympics

The crash brought an abrupt end to one of the central storylines of the Games. Vonn arrived in Cortina attempting a remarkable late-career comeback, racing with a partially titanium-reinforced right knee and a badly injured left knee. She had returned to elite competition last season after nearly six years away and stunned the circuit by immediately becoming a contender, leading the World Cup downhill standings before suffering a serious knee injury in Switzerland nine days earlier that left her with a ruptured ACL, bone bruising and meniscus damage.

Still, few were willing to rule her out. Vonn has raced through pain for most of her career, including at the 2006 Turin Olympics, when she competed less than 48 hours after a heavy training crash. Cortina, where she holds a record 12 World Cup downhill wins and is affectionately known as the “queen,” had long been one of her favourite venues.

Before the race, she had described the attempt as potentially “the most dramatic” comeback of her career. Instead, the drama took a darker turn. International Ski and Snowboard Federation president Johan Eliasch called the crash “tragic, but ski racing,” while thanking Vonn for what she has given the sport. International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry said she was “an incredible inspiration” who will always be an Olympic champion.

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