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It’s pretty clear that Lindsey Vonn has a long road ahead of her.
In one of her first races at the Olympics in Milan Cortina earlier this month, fresh from a torn ACL she suffered a week before the Games, Vonn fell, resulting in a compound fracture of her leg.
The 41-year-old was hoping to have some hardware around her neck, but instead it’s now inside her body.
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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)
Vonn underwent her fifth surgery Thursday — this one accompanied by “a lot of plates and screws” that took more than six hours, she announced on Instagram.
“Made it through surgery… took a little over 6 hours to complete. As you can see, it took a lot of plates and screws to put back together, but Dr. Hackett did an incredible job. Thanks Dr. Viola for the surgery help too!!” Vonn wrote.
“With the extent of the trauma, I’ve been struggling a bit since the surgery and haven’t been able to get out of the hospital yet… almost there. Baby steps. Will explain the injury and what it all means soon.”
Lindsey Vonn of the United States arrives at the finish line for a women’s downhill skiing event at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
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Vonn posted a video of herself being wheeled into another room and photos of X-rays with the plates and screws.
Vonn recently revealed that her beloved dog of 13 years, Leo, died the day after her crash.
“I said goodbye to my big boy as I lay in my hospital bed,” Vonn wrote on X. “Had some of the hardest days of my life and still haven’t gotten over his passing… I will always love you Leo.”
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, 41, needed to be lifted from an Italian mountain in a terrifying scene during her downhill competition. She returned to the US earlier this week.
