Lindsey Vonn has admitted she remains in 'survival mode' following her devastating crash at the 2026 Winter Olympics, leaving the skiing legend uncertain whether she will ever race again.
The 41-year-old American, one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time, broke her leg and ankle during the women's downhill event in Cortina on February 8. She has since undergone eight surgeries and previously revealed that doctors had to fight to save her leg from amputation.
'I just don't want to jump to any conclusions or even speculate on what I might do,' Vonn told the Associated Press. 'I may retire. I may never race again and that would be completely fine, but I'm not in a position emotionally to make that decision at this point.'
Vonn, who won Olympic gold in downhill in 2010, still faces at least one more surgery to remove metal implants and repair her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). She expects a recovery period of at least 18 months before she can return to full training.
'I'm still in survival mode. I just want to get through this phase and be able to assess where I am in my life,' she said. 'I don't want to make a decision now because I think that would be rash and probably too emotional and I don't want to make a mistake.'
The crash occurred just nine days after Vonn tore ligaments in her left knee during a World Cup race in Switzerland. Despite the injury, she chose to compete at her fifth Olympics, where she was considered a medal contender. She struck a gate 13 seconds into her downhill run and was airlifted off the course with a complex tibia fracture.
Vonn described this injury as 'much different' from her previous serious leg injuries, which have plagued her career. 'I can deal with a lot of pain, but this was so extreme. It's not even been in the universe of pain as what I've had before,' she said.
Having initially retired in 2019 after a series of knee injuries, Vonn made a surprise comeback in 2024 following a partial right knee replacement. She has won 84 World Cup races, second only to Mikaela Shiffrin on the all-time women's list.
'I have one more surgery left to take out the metal and to replace my ACL,' Vonn added. 'Once I get my ACL fixed, then that's another six months, so I have at least a year and a half ahead of me before I could really be back to 100%.'