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American skier Lindsey Vonn, who suffered a heavy crash in the downhill at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, revealed that she suffered a multiple tibia fracture that will require further surgery and that her left knee injury had nothing to do with her tragic farewell.
"Yesterday my Olympic dream didn't end as I had dreamed. It wasn't a fairytale ending, it was just life. I dared to dream and worked very hard to achieve it. Because in alpine skiing the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as 12 centimeters," she commented in a post on her Instagram.
I dared to dream and worked very hard to achieve it
Vonn, who competed at the age of 41 despite having a titanium right knee and having suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in the World Cup downhill in Crans Montana (Switzerland), suffered a spectacular mishap 13 seconds into this Olympic event.
"I just stood 12 centimetres too close to the line when my right arm got caught on the inside of the door, which spun me round and caused the fall. My anterior cruciate ligament and previous injuries had nothing to do with my fall," he said.
I stood 12 centimetres too close to the line when my right arm caught on the inside of the door
"Unfortunately, I suffered a complex tibia fracture that is currently stable, but will require multiple operations to heal properly," he revealed.
The St. Paul, Minnesota, skier, who has 84 World Cup victories, 45 of them in downhill, has no regrets about her decision.
"Although yesterday didn't end as I hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused me, I have no regrets. Being on the starting line yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing that I was there with the opportunity to win was a victory in itself. I also knew that competing was a risk. It always has been and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport," he said.
Although yesterday did not end as I expected, and despite the intense physical pain it caused me, I have no regrets
"And just like in ski racing, in life we also take risks. We dream. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall. Sometimes we get our hearts broken. Sometimes we don't achieve the dreams we know we could have had. But that's also the beauty of life: we can try. I tried. I dreamed. I jumped," she added.
The 2019 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports winner, with eleven medals in major events, including an Olympic gold in Vancouver (Canada) and two world golds, ended with a message to her followers.
Just like in ski racing, in life we also take risks. We dream. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall
"I hope that if you take anything away from my journey, it's that you all have the courage to dare to do great things. Life is too short not to take risks. Because the only failure in life is not trying. I believe in you, just as you believed in me," he concluded.