Lindsey Vonn announced via Instagram on Saturday that her latest surgery went well and she plans to return to the U.S.
“Surgery went well today,” Vonn said in her post. “Thankfully, I will be able to finally go back to the US 🇺🇸! Once I’m back I will give you more updates and info about my injury.”
The 41-year-old American skier fractured her left leg 13 seconds into her downhill race Sunday. Vonn had previously trained on a torn ACL in the same left leg, an injury she suffered just days before the start of the Olympics. She had her fourth surgery on Saturday and could need more procedures done once she returns to the U.S.
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Despite how things ended, Vonn wrote that her ACL tear had nothing to do with her crash and that she did not want her fans to feel sad.
“Please, don’t be sad,” Vonn wrote. “Empathy, love and support I welcome with an open heart, but please not sadness or sympathy. I hope instead it gives you strength to keep fighting, because that is what I am doing and that is what I will continue to do. Always.”
Vonn also said that after the crash that she knew there could be consequences, but thought it was worth the risk.
Nothing in life is guaranteed. That’s the gamble of chasing your dreams, you might fall but if you don’t try you’ll never know.
So please, don’t feel sad. The ride was worth the fall. When I close my eyes at night I don’t have regrets and the love I have for skiing remains. I am still looking forward to the moment when I can stand on the top of the mountain once more. And I will.
Vonn retired in 2019 before deciding to return in 2024 following a knee replacement. One of the most decorated skiers of all time, Vonn has three Olympic medals (one gold and two bronze) and eight World Championship medals. In December, she became the oldest downhill skiing World Cup winner in St. Moritz, her first World Cup wins since 2018.
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