Sportsupdated 21m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 19 January 2017Lindsey Vonn Undergoes Ninth Operation After 2026 Winter Olympics Crash
3 Western Mainstream2 Western Tabloid1 Local Western1 OtherPhoto: Foto: Stefan Brending, Lizenz: Creative Commons by-sa-3.0 de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Cropped for layout
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Lindsey Vonn undergoing ninth surgery on left leg after Milano Cortina 2026 downhill crash. Surgeons planned to remove hardware and reconstruct ACL in the procedure.
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Ninth operation after crash
Lindsey Vonn, the 42-year-old American skier, underwent her ninth operation after breaking a leg and ankle in a crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Vonn said she was “praying” it would be her last operation and described feeling “nervous and anxious” but “excited to hopefully put it behind me”. Vonn explained surgeons would remove all of the hardware installed during eight previous procedures to repair her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and she said she was “doing this beforehand because I'm actually getting pretty nervous about it.”
Vonn said she had been waiting “all these nine months so my bones could heal,” and she added that the ACL meant “another six to nine months.” Vonn crashed 13 seconds into her Olympic downhill run in Cortina after striking a gate, and she previously said the operations meant she did not have to have her leg amputated.
Video, recovery timeline
Lindsey Vonn filmed an Instagram video before the procedure and told followers, “This will be my ninth operation. I’m filming this video before the procedure because I’m very nervous.”
Vonn said her surgical team would remove the plates and screws to reconstruct her cruciate ligament, and she added, “I pray that this will be the last one.”
Vonn said she had already waited “these nine long months for my bone to heal,” and she said she was “nervous and anxious about this idea, but at the same time eager to be able, I hope, to leave all of this behind me.”
Vonn said she would share updates once she was awake, and she acknowledged that “some details could still change during the operation.”
Vonn remained on the American team for the 2026-2027 season, even though her return to competition was not planned immediately.
Stakes for rehab and hope
Lindsey Vonn said removing the plates and screws would leave holes in her bone that would require another six to nine months of standard ACL recovery, and she said, “But fingers crossed.” Vonn said she had been bed-bound for a long time after the crash and later got back on her feet ahead of her gruelling recovery journey. Vonn said she was “in the best hands though” and thanked “my doctors, physical therapist, nurses and medical staff,” while also saying there were “still things that could change in surgery so we will have to wait and see how it goes.”
Vonn said she was supported by her boyfriend, Matthieu Bailet, and she expressed optimism that this would mark her final operation as she continued her journey toward a full recovery. Vonn described the crash aftermath as her “leg was broken” with her skis still on, and she said she “cried out for help” during one of the hardest episodes of her career.
