Milan — Lindsey Vonn says she has “no regrets” in the first message from the star Team USA skier after she broke a leg in a devastating crash the previous day at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
“My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever,” Vonn wrote Monday on Instagram in a caption to the photo of the moment right before her fall during her women’s downhill race Sunday in Cortina.
“I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash,” the five-time Olympian noted.
Vonn confirmed she sustained a complex tibia fracture after what the Italian hospital where she’s being treated said was “a nasty fall.” She said the fracture is currently stable, but the injury will require multiple surgeries to fix it properly.
“While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets,” Vonn said. “Standing in the starting gate yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.”
Earlier Monday, Vonn responded to a journalist’s post on social media, saying “Thank you” to a long statement posted by British sports commentator Dan Walker, who wished Vonn well and lauded her resilience.
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After the fall, Vonn “was treated by staff from the Regional Olympic Medical Service and immediately airlifted to the Codivilla Polyclinic, managed by the Local Health Authority,” the hospital said Sunday.
“Diagnostic tests were performed and a decision was made to transfer her to Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso. The American athlete was admitted to the hospital and taken care of by a multidisciplinary team. This afternoon, she underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilize the fracture in her left leg,” the hospital added.
Vonn, 41, crashed during her downhill race on Sunday after deciding to compete in the Winter Games despite rupturing her left ACL in a crash during a World Cup event in the Swiss Alps a week earlier.
The American, who came out of retirement to compete in the 2026 Winter Games, had said she felt confident she could still finish the race despite her injury, with the help of a knee brace.
But seconds into the race, Vonn lost control after clipping a flag marking the side of the course, flew sideways in the air and hit her head on the ground. She was responsive but did not get up. Medical personnel put her on a stretcher and airlifted her from the course.
“She’ll be OK, but it’s going to be a bit of a process,” U.S. Ski and Snowboard chief of sport Anouk Patty said Sunday. “This sport’s brutal and people need to remember when they’re watching, these athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain and going really, really fast.”