Lindsey Vonn issued a candid update (Feb. 9) after a terrifying crash in the women’s downhill final at the Milano Cortina Winter Games that left the Olympic great airlifted from the course and later operated on in Treviso. In an Instagram post, Vonn said she sustained "a complex tibia fracture that is currently stable" and warned the injury "will require multiple surgeries to fix properly."

 She made a point of separating the new break from a torn ACL she suffered a week earlier, writing, "My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever."

In her statement Vonn described the crash as a technical error rather than a medical failure.

"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 41-year-old, who came out of retirement to compete at these Games, said she had no regrets about racing. “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,” she wrote, urging fans to “dare greatly” and take chances in life.

Vonn’s crash and the medical response Vonn was evacuated by helicopter from the Cortina course and taken to a hospital in Treviso, where officials said she underwent surgery on her left leg and was in stable condition. The U.S. Ski Team confirmed the operation and Vonn’s stable status in statements released after the accident. 

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Likely end of racing career Shortly after Vonn’s Instagram update, her father, Alan Kildow, told The Associated Press that he believes his daughter’s competitive career is effectively over. "She's 41 years old and this is the end of her career," Kildow said. "There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it."

Kildow, a former racer who taught Vonn to ski, has stayed at her bedside in Italy along with other family members and described the family’s worry and relief at the medical care she is receiving. "She's a very strong individual … She's able to handle it. Better than I expected,” he added. 

Kildow also defended the decision to let Vonn race, saying she had been cleared by “high level physicians to ski” after tearing her ACL nine days earlier and that the Milano Cortina crash was the result of an aggressive technical line rather than the earlier knee injury. “What happened to her had nothing to do with the ACL issue on her left leg. Nothing,” he said, adding that Vonn had shown she could perform at a high level in training runs leading up to the race. 

Fan and celebrity reaction Support for Vonn poured in across social media. Celebrities and fans flooded her Instagram comments with messages of encouragement. 

Reese Witherspoon wrote, "LV, I'm so inspired by your courage to always challenge yourself. You are & will always be a true Champion," while professional racer Sophia Floersch called Vonn a "Hero. Role Model. Legend. Power Woman."

 Many fans praised Vonn’s bravery for returning to competition after retirement and after recent surgeries; others publicly questioned whether clearing her to race so soon after an ACL rupture was appropriate and whether mental or physical fatigue contributed to the crash. 

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As Vonn begins what is expected to be a lengthy recovery, teammates, fans and a stream of public figures have rallied to her side, celebrating a career that includes Olympic gold, multiple World Cup titles and a record 84 World Cup wins  and sending wishes for a full recovery in the weeks and months ahead.