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Lindsey Vonn’s Recovery Underway After Latest Surgery
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – American skiing sensation Lindsey Vonn is set to return to the United States after undergoing a successful fourth surgery on her left leg, which she fractured during an Olympic downhill race. The 41-year-old athlete, currently recovering at a hospital in Treviso, shared the positive update on Saturday, stating that the procedure “went well.”
Vonn’s recent string of injuries began nine days prior to last Sunday’s crash, when she ruptured the ACL in her left knee. Despite the setback, she was a focal point heading into the Olympics, celebrated for her remarkable comeback after nearly six years in retirement.
The downhill incident saw Vonn crash just 13 seconds into her run, necessitating an airlift from the course. On Monday, she disclosed a “complex tibia fracture that is currently stable but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly.” Her third surgery was reported as “successful” on Wednesday.
In a message to her followers, Vonn addressed the outpouring of support, urging against sadness or sympathy. “Please, don’t be sad.
Empathy, love and support I welcome with an open heart, but please not sadness or sympathy,” she wrote on Instagram. “I hope instead it gives you strength to keep fighting, because that is what I am doing and that is what I will continue to do.
Always.”
Reflecting on the crash, Vonn acknowledged the inherent risks of her sport: “When I think back on my crash, I didn’t stand in the starting gate unaware of the potential consequences. I knew what I was doing. I chose to take a risk.”
While her father, Alan Kildow, indicated to The Associated Press on Monday that he would advise his daughter against further racing, Vonn remains resolute. She concluded her message with a determined outlook: “I am still looking forward to the moment when I can stand on the top of the mountain once more. And I will.”