Consider This from NPR Skier Lindsey Vonn won't back down
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May 8, 2026 
Lindsey Vonn, Olympic gold medalist and legendary World Cup skier, recounts her comeback, a devastating 2026 Olympic crash, and the long road of surgeries and rehab. NPR reporter Becky Sullivan narrates the arc, from pre-Olympic injuries to the dramatic airlift off the slope. They explore public recovery, sharing updates on social media, and the hard choices about future surgeries and a possible return.
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Lindsey Vonn Comeback And Devastating Olympic Crash
- Lindsey Vonn staged a comeback at age 41 aiming for the 2026 Olympic downhill after retiring in 2019 and a knee replacement.
- She won World Cup races in December, tore her ACL in Switzerland, yet still started the Cortina downhill where she crashed 13 seconds into the run and was airlifted off.
How A Torn ACL Altered Her Racing Calculations
- The prior ACL tear influenced her race plan and reduced the reliability of techniques she normally used at speed.
- Vonn says she compensated by choosing places to make up time, and missing those marks by inches led to the catastrophic fall.
Severe Injuries Required Emergency Surgeries In Italy
- The crash produced a complex left leg fracture with amputation-risk complications and a broken right ankle, requiring multiple emergency surgeries in an Italian ICU.
- She later flew home after stabilization and continued further operations and long rehab plans in the U.S.