Five months after a severe leg injury at the 2026 Winter Olympics, American skier Lindsey Vonn confirmed that her ankle remains broken and walking is still a significant challenge. Vonn sustained the injury during the women's downhill event on Feb. 8, crashing just 13 seconds into the race. She was airlifted to a hospital for emergency surgery to address a complex tibia fracture. At the time of the crash, Vonn was already competing with a torn ACL, an injury she suffered just one week prior in a World Cup downhill race.
"It’s been a very slow process," Vonn told People at the ESPYs on Wednesday. "It’s been five months since I’ve been able to actually go to the gym in a somewhat meaningful way. Walking is actually still really hard for me. My ankle is still broken."
Vonn spent a prolonged period on crutches and in a wheelchair, unable to walk unassisted for nearly three and a half months. She described becoming emotional when she was finally able to walk on her own.
Vonn, who qualified for her fifth Olympics in December at the age of 41, had initially retired from competitive skiing in 2019 before announcing her return in late 2024. Her recovery regimen since the Olympics involves extensive rehabilitation. "Wake up at 7:30, breakfast at 8, 9 to 11 is rehab at my house," she told The Athletic. "I have a little break, eat some food. Got to a hyperbaric chamber. Do about two hours with decompression in the hyperbaric, and then I come back and have a little break. And then usually work out from, like, 5 to 6:30, little break, shower, dinner."
Despite the ongoing recovery, Vonn has not ruled out a potential comeback to competitive skiing following her rehabilitation.