Lindsey Vonn said she is not ready to discuss whether she will return to competitive skiing after suffering a serious leg injury during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Vonn addressed speculation about her future in a post shared on X on March 15, explaining that her current focus remains on recovery rather than making long-term decisions about her career.
The 41-year-old wrote, “No, I’m not ready to discuss my future in skiing. My focus has been on recovering from my injury and getting back to normal life. I was already retired for 6 years and have an amazing life outside of skiing. It was incredible to be #1 in the world again at 41 years old and set new records in my sport, but at my age, I’m the only one that will decide my future.”
She continued, “I don’t need anyone’s permission to do what makes me happy. Maybe that means racing again, maybe that doesn’t. Only time will tell. Please stop telling me what I should or should not do. I’ll let you know when I decide.”
The statement comes weeks after Vonn suffered a severe injury during Olympic competition. She had already completely torn her ACL during a World Cup race in Switzerland on January 30 before competing in the Olympic event.
No, I’m not ready to discuss my future in skiing. My focus has been on recovering from my injury and getting back to normal life. I was already retired for 6 years and have an amazing life outside of skiing. It was incredible to be #1 in the world again at 41 years old and set…
— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) March 15, 2026
During her run in Italy, Vonn crashed just 13 seconds into the course and severely injured the same leg. Officials airlifted her to a nearby hospital, where doctors performed four surgeries before she returned to the United States.
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Doctors later said the procedures prevented a possible amputation. Vonn also credited surgeon Tom Hackett in a social media message posted on February 23.
“Dr. Tom Hackett saved my leg,” Vonn shared. “He saved my leg from being amputated. He did what’s called a fasciotomy, where he cut open both sides of my leg and kind of filleted it open, so to speak, let it breathe, and he saved me.”
Lindsey Vonn Shares Her Difficult Rehabilitation Process
In the days following her statement about her future, Lindsey Vonn also shared footage of her rehabilitation process with fans. On March 13, she posted a video to Instagram showing a physical therapist pushing down on her injured leg during an exercise session.
The clip showed Vonn breathing heavily and grimacing in pain as the therapist counted through the movement. “Had to do this…,” she captioned the video, which also revealed two surgical sites on her leg covered by large bandages.
A second clip posted afterward showed Vonn pedaling steadily on a recovery bike during therapy. “So I could do this,” she wrote alongside the video, documenting progress in her rehabilitation following the surgeries.
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Vonn returned to Olympic competition in February after six years away from the sport, becoming the world’s top-ranked skier again at age 41 before the injury ended her run at the Milan Games.
