Lindsey Vonn responds to her critics. © ANSA / TIL BUERGY / STF

Vonn takes on critics: "To all the haters out there"

US star Lindsey Vonn has taken on the critics of her comeback in another message from her hospital bed.

February 22, 2026

From: dpa/nie

“It wasn’t all for nothing. It was everything. And it wasn’t a dream. Even though it feels a long way off now, sitting here in this hospital bed,” the 41-year-old said in an Instagram post. “But I did it. I came back. I won. I stepped up and accomplished what most people my age thought was impossible with a partial knee replacement. Every moment was amazing, every moment was worth it,” Vonn said.

Vonn launched a comeback at the end of 2024, which was supposed to culminate at the Winter Olympics in Italy. However, she crashed heavily in the Olympic downhill race in Cortina d'Ampezzo, suffering a complex shin injury. The American has since undergone multiple surgeries. Vonn had competed despite having recently torn the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

Vonn addresses “all the haters out there”

What hurt her most were the voices accusing her of selfishly blocking a starting place for the Olympics. "For all the haters out there" who don't understand what it means to earn your place, she presented her record since her comeback in an Instagram post.

The 2010 Olympic champion pointed to her lead in the downhill World Cup standings, her two World Cup downhill victories, and numerous podium finishes. "I didn't achieve my big goal. But I did achieve a great deal," Vonn wrote. "Thank you to everyone who believed in me."