What Happened to Lindsey Vonn at the Olympics? What We Know About Her Crash

(NEXSTAR) – Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn is scheduled to undergo yet another surgery — and  another after that — to fix the broken tibia she sustained when she crashed during a downhill race on Sunday.

Vonn, 41, provided the news herself on Friday, in an Instagram video taken from her hospital bed in Treviso, Italy.

“Hey guys, I just wanted to give you a little update and say thank you, so much, to everyone that has bene sending me flowers and letters and sharks,” she said, motioning toward a stuffed shark she was resting her head on. “It’s just been so amazing and really helped me a lot.”

Lindsey VonnUnited States’ Lindsey Vonn attends a press conference by the U.S. ski team at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Vonn added that it had been “quite a hard few days” in the hospital, where she had already undergone three surgeries by Wednesday.

On Saturday, Vonn said she was scheduled for another surgery.

“And hopefully that goes well and I can potentially leave and go back home, at which point I will need another surgery,” she revealed. “Still don’t know exactly what that entails yet until I get some better imaging.”

“I’m just in the hospital, very much immobile, but I have a lot of friends and family that have been coming to visit,” Vonn continued. “And like I said, the letters and the notes and the flowers have been so incredible.

Lindsey Vonn Gives Health Update After Olympics Crash

Nine days before her crash at the Olympics, Vonn ruptured the ACL in her left knee in another crash at a World Cup race in Switzerland and needed to be airlifted from the mountain. She completed a qualifying run at the Olympics only days later, but crashed on Sunday just 13 seconds into her run. Afterward, she confirmed she suffered a “complex tibia fracture” that would require “multiple surgeries to fix properly.”
Lindsey VonnUnited States’ Lindsey Vonn crashes during an alpine ski women’s downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Since then, Vonn said she’s been watching her fellow athletes at the Winter Games.

“I feel very lucky and fortunate to have so many people around me that have really helped me get through this so I just wanted to say thank you and go Team USA,” Vonn said. “It’s so great to watch and really lifted my spirits. Good job, team, and keep crushing it. I’ll check in with you guys when I can.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.