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As if Lindsey Vonn hadn’t been through enough, the skier announced Wednesday that her beloved dog, Leo, had died.
Leo died a day after Vonn crashed in a race at the Cortina Olympics in Milan, resulting in four operations already, with more likely.
“2/9/2026 Leo passed away. The day after my crash I said goodbye to my big boy as I lay in my hospital bed,” Vonn said. “Has been some of the hardest days of my life and still haven’t begun to process his passing… I will always love you Leo.”
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Lindsey Vonn of the United States looks dejected during the Ladies’ Alpine Combined on Day 13 of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics at the Yongpyong Alpine Center on February 22, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Vonn said Leo had suffered from lung cancer and she had owned him for 13 years.
Vonn suffered tremendous Olympic heartbreak on Feb. 8 when she broke her leg in a hard crash in women’s alpine skiing earlier in the 2026 Milan Cortina Games. She tried to get through a torn ACL to get on the podium, but the latest injury set her further back.
She suffered the ACL injury during a training run just a week before the Games.
Lindsey Vonn speeds down the track during the women’s official alpine training at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on February 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati))
“Haven’t been on my feet in over a week…been in a hospital bed motionless since my race. And even though I’m not able to stand yet, it feels great to be back on home turf,” she wrote in a post on X earlier this week.
“Huge thanks to everyone in Italy for taking such good care of me.”
Vonn, 41, needed to be lifted from an Italian mountain in a terrifying scene during her downhill competition.
Before the Games began, many wondered how Vonn would continue skiing her torn ACLbut she was determined to try to medal in her signature event. Her runs on Friday and Saturday went well, but she lost control a few seconds into the race and things got very serious afterwards.
Lindsey Vonn of the United States is lifted away after a crash during a women’s downhill skiing event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Vonn said last week that she had no regrets decision to drive.
