Lindsey Vonn says she is “finally feeling” more like herself but will require at least two more operations on the broken leg she sustained in a crash at the Winter Olympics on Sunday.
The American great was racing just nine days after rupturing ligaments in her left knee when she struck a gate 13 seconds into her downhill run in Cortina.
She was airlifted off the piste and taken to hospital in Treviso, where she was diagnosed with a “complex tibia fracture” in her left leg.
Speaking in a post on Instagram, external, the 41-year-old said a fourth surgery since her crash is scheduled for Saturday and another will follow when she returns home to the United States.
“It’s been a hard few days in the hospital here,” she said.
“I am finally feeling more like myself but I have a long, long way to go and tomorrow I will have another surgery. If that goes well I can potentially leave and go back home, at which point I will need another surgery.
“I don’t know what that entails yet until I get some better imaging but it is kind of where I am right now, in hospital, very much immobile.”
Vonn was the Olympic downhill champion in 2010 and had been hoping for a fairy tale ending to her illustrious career.
She retired from the sport in 2019 as the most decorated female skier at the time, having suffered several serious leg injuries.
After having a partial right knee replacement, she announced a shock return to the sport in 2024.
Since then, she had achieved eight podium finishes on the World Cup circuit, including two golds, and had been tipped to win a medal at her fifth and final Olympics.
Despite suffering an ACL injury in Switzerland in the last World Cup race before the Games, Vonn was determined to take to the course in Cortina where she had enjoyed so much success.
As well as detailing her road to recovery, Vonn expressed her thanks to those that had wished her well since her injury.
She added: “Thank you so much to everyone who has been sending me flowers, letters and [soft toy] sharks. It’s been so amazing and really helped me a lot.
“I feel very lucky and fortunate to have so many people around me to help me get through this.
“I just want to say thank you and go team USA, it has been so great to watch and you have really lifted my spirits.”