Lindsey Vonn says injury sustained in Winter Olympics fall is 'lot more severe' than broken leg
The sporting icon faces a lengthy recovery period after the crash during the Games last week
US skiing legend Lindsey Vonn has revealed the injury she suffered in a crash while competing at the Winter Olympics is a "lot more severe" than a broken leg.
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The 41-year-old suffered a fall just seconds into her run last Sunday and needed to be airlifted to a hospital in Treviso, where she underwent four operations on what was described as a "complex tibia fracture."
She attempted the run at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina just days after suffering a damaged ACL.
Updating followers on Instagram to inform them she was safely back home, Vonn wrote: "My leg is still in pieces…but I’m finally home.
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"Thankful to all of the medical staff who helped me get home and seriously looking forward to my next surgery when I can get the X-fix out of my leg and will be able to move more.
"My injury was a lot more severe than just a broken leg. I’m still wrapping my head around it, what it means and the road ahead…but I’m going to give you more detail in the coming days."
The social media documented her journey from the hospital bed to an ambulance and onto the airport runway before being lifted into a private jet.
The camera then shows her lying in her makeshift bed while on the aircraft, before landing and being taken to a US hospital.
Vonn defied the initial knee ligament injury to pursue another gold medal to add to the one she won in Vancouver in 2010.
Speaking after the fall, knee specialist Dr Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet, based in France, told the country's network BFM TV: "I unfortunately think that this time, it's one injury too many.
"Her goal now is first and foremost to keep her leg and be able to walk."I think we're not yet at the stage of returning to high-level skiing. We're not there yet, but some injuries like hers can end in amputation."
The accident has seemingly brought an end to the dream of securing another gold.
The former champion had returned to competition in late 2024 after nearly six years in retirement following a partial right knee replacement.
Since returning, she had recorded eight World Cup podium finishes, including two victories, and had been widely considered a strong medal contender before suffering the ACL injury.
In 2019, Vonn retired as the most decorated female alpine skier of her generation.