Milan β Lindsey Vonn says she has “no regrets” in the first message from the star Team USA skier after sheΒ broke a leg in a devastating crashΒ the previous day at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
“Yesterday my Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would. It wasn’t a story book ending or a fairy tail, it was just life,” VonnΒ wrote Monday on InstagramΒ in a caption to the photo of the moment right before her fall the previous day during the women’s downhill race in Cortina. Β
“I dared to dream and had worked so hard to achieve it. Because in Downhill ski racing the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as 5 inches,” the five-time Olympian continued, noting: “I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash.”
“My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever,” she added.
Vonn confirmed she sustained a complex tibia fracture after what the Italian hospital where she’s being treated said was “a nasty fall.” She said the fracture is currently stable, but the injury will require multiple surgeries to fix it properly.
“While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets,” Vonn said. “Standing in the starting gate yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.”
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Earlier Monday, VonnΒ responded to a journalist’s post on social media, saying “Thank you” to a long statement posted by British sports commentator Dan Walker, who wished Vonn well and lauded her resilience.Β
Vonn, 41, crashed during her downhill race on Sunday after deciding to compete in the Winter Games despite rupturing her left ACL in a crash during a World Cup event in the Swiss Alps a week earlier.
The American, who came out of retirement to compete in the 2026 Winter Games, had said she felt confident she could still finish the race despite her injury, with the help of a knee brace.Β
But seconds into the race, Vonn lost control after clipping a flag marking the side of the course, flew sideways in the air and hit her head on the ground. She was responsive but did not get up. Medical personnel put her on a stretcher and airlifted her from the course.
After the fall, Vonn was treated by staff at the Regional Olympic Medical Service before being “immediately airlifted to the Codivilla Polyclinic, managed by the Local Health Authority,” the hospital said Sunday.Β
“Diagnostic tests were performed and a decision was made to transfer her to Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso. The American athlete was admitted to the hospital and taken care of by a multidisciplinary team. This afternoon, she underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilize the fracture in her left leg,” the hospital said.
“She’ll be OK, but it’s going to be a bit of a process,” U.S. Ski and Snowboard chief of sport Anouk Patty said Sunday. “This sport’s brutal and people need to remember when they’re watching, these athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain and going really, really fast.”
In her message on Monday, Vonn urged others to try to achieve their dreams, even if they don’t pan out.
“I hope if you take away anything from my journey it’s that you all have the courage to dare greatly,” she wrote. “Life is too short not to take chances on yourself. Because the only failure in life is not trying.”
Vonn’s father, Alan Kildow, a former alpine skier himself, moved the family from Minnesota to Vail, Colorado, so she could train for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. She later competed in the 2006, 2010 and 2018 Olympics, winning a gold in Downhill and a bronze in Super-G in 2010 Vancouver. She also has a bronze in Downhill from 2018 PyeongChang.