Lindsey Vonn’s 7-word response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s “Legends always rise”
After weeks immobilized and multiple surgeries, the Olympic champion outlines her recovery and the support that strengthened her resolve.
Three-time Olympic medalist Lindsey Vonn brought a stunned hush to the Milan-Cortina Winter Games after fracturing her tibia in a devastating crash. The severity of the injury forced her to undergo five surgeries to avoid amputation of her left leg.
Vonn described those dark hours of uncertainty in a message posted on Instagram, where she also received words of support from Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“I’m finally out of the hospital. After almost two weeks of resting in a hospital bed almost completely immobile, I’m finally well enough to move to a hotel. It’s not home yet, but it’s a huge step. I’ll try to explain my injury properly – I’m not a doctor, so if I don’t explain it well, please forgive me. When the injury happened, the situation was challenging in many ways, but we were able to regain control.
“Thanks to Dr. Tom Hackett. Now I’ll focus on rehab and progressing from a wheelchair to crutches in a few weeks. It will take about a year for all the bones to heal and then I’ll decide whether I want to remove all the metal or not, then go back into surgery and finally repair my ligament tear. It will be a long road, but I’ll get there. At least I’m out of the hospital,” Vonn wrote.
One of the messages that drew the most attention came from the Portuguese forward, who offered encouragement in his trademark motivational tone.
“Champions are defined by the moments they win, and the moments they refuse to give up. Lindsey Vonn, the mountains you conquered were never bigger than the strength you carry. Keep fighting. Legends always rise,” he wrote.
Zlatan also reached out during what is an especially difficult time for the two-time world champion and eight-time medalist at the sport’s highest level.
“Surrender is not an option,” he commented.
Vonn’s response
When Zlatan told her that surrender was not an option, her reply was unequivocal: “Never.” She pinned his message alongside Cristiano Ronaldo’s and quickly responded to the Portuguese star: “Coming from you, this means so much.” The exchange underscored both the scale of her ordeal and the resolve driving her comeback.
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