Legendary American skier Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery to stabilize a leg fracture after she crashed early in her first run in the women’s downhill final Sunday at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, ending her return to Olympic competition for the first time since 2018.
According to Andrew Dampf and Pat Graham of the Associated Press, an Italian hospital confirmed the procedure on her left leg, the same leg which had the torn ACL suffered in the buildup to the Olympics.
Vonn is in stable condition, according to the report.
According to The Athletic, Vonn received medical attention for more than 10 minutes before being airlifted from the course in Italy.
Vonn decided to compete in Italy despite tearing her ACL just over one week ago during an event at Crans-Montana in Switzerland.
Per ESPN, Vonn went airborne in the opening portion of her downhill run, causing her to lose control and crash. She could be heard screaming before medical personnel reached her, strapped her to a gurney and had her airlifted away.
International Ski and Snowboard Federation President Johan Eliasch told reporters Vonn’s crash was “tragic, but it’s ski racing,” before adding, “I can only say thank you for what she has done for our sport because this race has been the talk of the games and it’s put our sport in the best possible light.”
Vonn’s sister, Karin Kildow, gave her thoughts on the crash during the Peacock broadcast (h/t ESPN), saying, “That definitely was the last thing we wanted to see. She always goes 110 percent, there’s never anything less, so I know she put her whole heart into it and sometimes things happen. It’s a very dangerous sport.”
Kildow added, “We’re happy everyone’s cheering for her and appreciate all the support,” and noted that she and her family were set to meet Vonn at the hospital following her medical evaluation.
Vonn’s Team USA teammate Breezy Johnson went on to win gold in the women’s downhill on Sunday, followed by Germany’s Emma Aicher in silver medal position and Italy’s Sofia Goggia in bronze medal position.
The 41-year-old Vonn retired from skiing in 2019 after numerous injuries, particularly to her knee, took a toll. At the time of her retirement, she was already one of the most decorated women’s skiers of all time with one Olympic gold medal, two Olympic bronze medals and 82 career World Cup race wins to her credit.
Vonn shocked the skiing world in late 2024 when she announced her intention to return to the sport, and she almost immediately re-established herself as one of the top skiers in the world.
During the build toward the 2026 Winter Games, Vonn won a pair of World Cup downhill races, and she is currently first in the World Cup downhill standings and third in the super-G standings.
On Jan. 30, it was announced that Vonn injured her knee during the final downhill race before the Olympics at Crans-Montana.
Despite the injury and fear of a torn ACL, Vonn provided a positive outlook for her chances of competing at the Olympics in an Instagram post, writing, “My Olympic dream is not over.”
Remarkably, Vonn made the trip to Italy with a torn ACL and even completed a training run on Saturday, setting the stage for her first Olympic race since the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Vonn had high hopes for a medal—potentially even multiple medals—in Milano Cortina, but after Sunday’s crash, her Olympic dreams and Olympic career are over.