Milan — Lindsey Vonn responded to a journalist’s post on social media Monday, the first message directly from the star Team USA skier after she broke a leg in a devastating crash the previous day at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
“Thank you Dan,” Vonn said, responding to a long statement posted by British sports commentator Dan Walker, who wished Vonn well and lauded her resilience.
The Italian hospital where she’s being treated released a statement Sunday saying Vonn suffered a fractured leg in “a nasty fall” during her women’s downhill race in Cortina.
She “was treated by staff from the Regional Olympic Medical Service and immediately airlifted to the Codivilla Polyclinic, managed by the Local Health Authority,” the hospital said Sunday.
“Diagnostic tests were performed and a decision was made to transfer her to Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso. The American athlete was admitted to the hospital and taken care of by a multidisciplinary team. This afternoon, she underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilize the fracture in her left leg,” the hospital added.
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Vonn, 41, crashed during her downhill race on Sunday after deciding to compete in the Winter Games despite rupturing her left ACL in a crash during a World Cup event in the Swiss Alps a week earlier.
The American, who came out of retirement to compete in the 2026 Winter Games, had said she felt confident she could still finish the race despite her injury, with the help of a knee brace.
But seconds into the race, Vonn lost control after clipping a flag marking the side of the course, flew sideways in the air and hit her head on the ground. She was responsive but did not get up. Medical personnel put her on a stretcher and airlifted her from the course.
“She’ll be OK, but it’s going to be a bit of a process,” U.S. Ski and Snowboard chief of sport Anouk Patty said Sunday. “This sport’s brutal and people need to remember when they’re watching, these athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain and going really, really fast.”
