Lindsey Vonn has undergone a ninth surgery on her left leg following the serious crash in the Olympic downhill event in Italy in February. The American skier suffered a complex fracture, including a fractured tibial plateau, after crashing 13 seconds into her run.
The latest surgery was scheduled after the bone had healed sufficiently. The procedure involved removing the metal plates and screws implanted to stabilize the leg, while doctors also reconstructed the anterior cruciate ligament.
“This is my ninth surgery, and I’m praying it will be the last,” Vonn said before the procedure.
According to the skier, recovery following the ligament reconstruction will take between six and nine months. She spent months waiting for the bone to heal so that doctors could carry out the next stage of her treatment.
Vonn has been included in the United States team for the 2026/2027 World Cup season, but her participation in competitions remains uncertain. She herself has not ruled out a return to the slopes.
“I don’t want to close the door on competing. I need to be at 100 percent, and I want to get back on the mountain before making that decision,” Vonn said.
Vonn returned to competition at the end of 2024 after ending her career in 2019 because of problems with her right knee. Before the 2026 Olympic Games, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament in a crash during a World Cup race in Switzerland, but despite the injury, she competed in the Olympic downhill.
Lindsey Vonn is the 2010 Olympic downhill champion. She has three Olympic medals and 84 World Cup victories, placing her among the most successful competitors in the history of alpine skiing.