Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn announced Monday that surgery saved her leg from amputation following a severe crash during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Vonn, who has been hospitalized for nearly two weeks, is now recovering in a hotel.
She described the injury as a complex tibia fracture with multiple other breaks, compounded by compartment syndrome. Vonn credited surgeon Dr. Tom Hackett for performing a "filleting" fasciectomy to save her limb. The skier also sustained a broken right ankle and required a blood transfusion. She described the experience as the most extreme and painful injury of her career.
Vonn plans to focus on rehabilitation, transitioning from a wheelchair to crutches. Full bone healing is expected to take approximately one year, after which she will consider further surgery to repair her ACL.
The 41-year-old competed in the Olympics despite a prior ACL rupture. Her Olympic downhill race ended seconds after a crash where she clipped a course marker and hit the ground. Vonn expressed no regrets, stating a preference for a determined effort over inaction.