Lindsey Vonn described the aftermath of her injury on social media. © FELICE CALABRO / Felice Calabro

Lindsey Vonn: "They cut me up like a fillet."

US ski star Lindsey Vonn spoke about the ordeal of the past few days in an emotional Instagram video about two weeks after her serious fall at the Winter Olympics.

February 24, 2026

From: apa/sn

“It was a long road, the most extreme and painful injury I have ever had in my entire life. They cut open both sides of my leg like a fillet to let it breathe. The doctor saved my leg from amputation,” said the 41-year-old.

The speed specialist suffered a complex shin injury in her crash during the downhill race in Cortina d'Ampezzo. After her hospital stay in Italy, Vonn was taken by ambulance to the airport and flown to the USA. "After lying almost completely immobile in a hospital bed for nearly two weeks, I am finally well enough to move into a hotel," Vonn wrote alongside her video.

Vonn: "Everything was shattered"

For the first time, the American spoke at length about the injuries she suffered in the accident. "I had a complex tibial fracture, including the tibial plateau. Everything was shattered," Vonn described. She also suffered compartment syndrome. "That means I had so much trauma in that area of ​​my body—there's too much blood in that area, and it gets trapped and more or less crushes everything there. Muscles, nerves, everything dies."

One operation alone lasted six hours. "I was in the hospital longer than I had hoped because my hemoglobin levels were very low from all the operations and blood loss. I was in real trouble; the pain was out of control. I had a blood transfusion, and that helped. I pulled through," Vonn continued.



Ironically, an old injury may have been crucial. "I always say that everything in life has a purpose. If I hadn't torn my ACL shortly before the Olympics, Tom (her doctor) wouldn't have been there. And then he wouldn't have been able to save my life, so I'm very grateful for that," says Vonn.

In a few weeks, crutches instead of a wheelchair.

She now wants to focus entirely on her rehabilitation. In a few weeks, Vonn hopes to switch from a wheelchair to crutches. "It will take about a year until all the bones have healed," explained the 2010 Olympic champion. Afterward, she will decide whether the implanted metal parts should be completely removed. Only then is the final repair of her cruciate ligament planned in another operation.

This fall will haunt Lindsey Vonn for a very long time. © APA/afp / HANDOUT

Vonn suffered a torn cruciate ligament in a World Cup race immediately before the Winter Olympics. Nevertheless, she competed in Italy. The American began her comeback at the end of 2024 – with the goal of winning downhill gold at the Winter Games in Italy.