Lindsey Vonn / Photo Stephen Cloutier
Nearly seven months after Lindsey Vonn’s devastating Olympic downhill crash, the American ski racing legend is walking, training and even playing tennis. However, she still needs surgery to reconstruct the left ACL she completely ruptured during the Jan. 30 World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana—nine days before her Olympic crash.
Vonn said Sunday at the U.S. Open that she hopes to undergo the operation in November. Once doctors repair the ligament, she expects to face approximately nine more months of rehabilitation.
“I still have another surgery, so I’m trying to get as strong as possible,” Vonn told TNT Sports. “And once I get my ACL, then I’ll have another long road ahead of me.”
Despite everything that remains, Vonn offered an encouraging assessment of her current condition.
“For now, I feel great, and I’m very thankful for that,” she said.
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A significant recovery milestone
Vonn also spoke with People during the U.S. Open’s opening night in New York. She described a summer filled with rehabilitation and recovery but said she is finally beginning to feel better.
The previous day, Vonn had played tennis—an important milestone after spending months in a wheelchair and on crutches.
“It’s coming along, slowly but surely,” she told People.
Her progress is particularly meaningful considering the severity of the injuries she suffered Feb. 8 in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Just 13 seconds into the Olympic women’s downhill, Vonn caught a gate with her right arm and shoulder as she launched off a jump at high speed. The contact pulled her off balance and spun her through the air before she landed hard and tumbled down the course. Medical personnel treated her on the snow before transporting her by helicopter to a hospital.
The crash caused a complex fracture of her left tibia and a broken right ankle. Vonn also developed compartment syndrome in her left leg, a dangerous condition in which swelling and bleeding create pressure that can restrict blood flow and damage muscles and nerves.
Doctors performed an emergency fasciotomy to relieve that pressure. Vonn later credited Dr. Tom Hackett with saving her leg from amputation.
The Associated Press reported in April that Vonn had undergone eight operations connected to the injury—one fewer than the total number of surgeries she had endured throughout the rest of her career.
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Two crashes and two separate injuries
The ACL injury and Olympic fracture resulted from two separate crashes.
Vonn completely ruptured the ACL in her left knee during the Jan. 30 World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. The crash occurred just nine days before the Olympic women’s downhill.
Medical examinations also revealed bone bruising and meniscus damage. However, Vonn said her knee remained stable, and she believed she could compete with a brace.
She completed the required Olympic downhill training run before deciding to enter the race. Vonn has consistently maintained that the injured ACL did not cause her Olympic crash.
The subsequent accident in Cortina produced the complex tibia fracture, broken ankle and compartment syndrome that doctors needed to address before they could reconstruct her ACL.
That sequence explains why the ligament remains unrepaired more than seven months after the Crans-Montana crash. Vonn first had to allow the fractures and extensive damage to her leg to heal while rebuilding enough strength to undergo another major operation.
From a wheelchair to walking independently
Vonn’s initial recovery moved slowly. She remained in a wheelchair for an extended period before progressing to crutches.
At the ESPYs in July, she told People that walking was still difficult. She estimated that she had spent approximately 3½ months unable to walk without assistance.
Still, Vonn documented steady progress. She began working on a stationary bike only weeks after the Olympic crash and trained her upper body while using crutches. Gradually, she returned to more substantial gym work and began walking independently.
Playing tennis offered another indication of how far she has come. Nevertheless, the planned ACL surgery will begin a new phase of rehabilitation.
Vonn said she hopes the operation can take place in November, although the timing will depend on her continued recovery. She expects to need about nine months to recover fully from the procedure, which rules out any return during the 2026-27 World Cup season.
A remarkable comeback interrupted
The injuries interrupted one of the most compelling comebacks in alpine ski racing history.
Vonn returned to World Cup competition in December 2024 after nearly six years away from the circuit. A partial titanium replacement in her right knee had relieved the pain that forced her to retire in 2019.
During the 2025-26 season, she reached the podium in each of the five World Cup downhills she completed before the Olympics, including two victories. She arrived in Cortina leading the World Cup downhill standings and seeking a fourth Olympic medal at a venue where she owns a record 12 World Cup victories.
Instead, her Olympic race ended almost immediately.
Vonn has said she does not regret competing. However, she has not decided whether she will attempt another return.
In an April interview with the AP, Vonn said she might retire and never race again. At the time, she believed making a decision while still processing the injury would be premature and overly emotional.
Her latest comments suggest that approach has not changed. Vonn remains focused on healing rather than establishing another competitive timeline.
Still, she made clear that skiing remains part of the future she wants—even if racing does not.
Vonn told People that skiing has never felt like work. She described being outdoors with friends and family, away from phones and other distractions, as one of life’s best experiences.
For now, returning to recreational skiing remains a distant but meaningful goal. Before Vonn can consider another race—or decide that her historic career is complete—she must rebuild her strength, undergo ACL surgery and confront another long rehabilitation.
After everything she has endured since Crans-Montana and Cortina, simply reaching the point where that next operation is possible represents substantial progress.
This report includes information from Vonn’s interviews with TNT Sports and People, along with previous reporting by The Associated Press.
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