Lindsey Vonn left a message of gratitude after dramatically crashing and breaking her leg at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, February 8.
Vonn, 41, responded to British journalist Dan Walker on social media on Monday, February 9, after he wrote a lengthy post praising her courage for competing with a torn ACL.
“Thank you Dan 🙏,” Vonn commented.
In his post Walker wrote, “I think her attitude is the very essence of sport. It wasn’t just about chasing glory…it was about defiance.”
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“This is what sport looks like when you strip away the polish. It’s not comfortable…it’s painful,” he continued. “Risk instead of safety. Vonn knew she might not win. She knew it might hurt. She understood the risk. She embraced it because not going down that mountain would mean surrendering to the things that stop you getting out of bed in the morning.”
Walker concluded his post, “I hope her body heals quickly and she knows she will always be a winner 🏆.”
Vonn crashed just 13 seconds into her women’s downhill run on Sunday, eventually being airlifted off the course by a helicopter to an Italian hospital.
She “underwent an orthopedic operation to stabilize a fracture reported in her left leg” and is being “treated by a multidisciplinary team,” according to a statement released by the Ca’ Foncello hospital on Sunday.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team said Vonn was “in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.”
“She’ll be OK, but it’s going to be a bit of a process,” said Anouk Patty, chief of sport for U.S. Ski and Snowboard. “This sport’s brutal, and people need to remember when they’re watching [that] these athletes are throwing themselves down a mountain and going really, really fast.”
Vonn’s sister, Karin Kidlow, told NBC that the crash was “the last thing we wanted to see.”
“It happened quick and when that happens, you’re just immediately hoping she’s OK,” Kildow said. “She does have all of her surgeons and her PT staff here and her doctors, so I’m sure they’ll give us a report and we’ll meet her at whatever hospital she’s at.”
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Unsurprisingly, Vonn’s name was left off Team USA’s roster for the first-ever women’s team combined event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, which takes place on Tuesday, February 10.
Before hitting the slopes for the women’s downhill on Sunday, Vonn acknowledged she had a staggering task in front of her after completely tearing her ACL during a World Cup race last month.
“Just getting to these Olympics has been a journey, and one that some did not believe in from the start,” Vonn shared via Instagram on Saturday, February 5. “I retired for 6 years, and because of a partial knee replacement, I had the chance to compete one more time. But why? Everyone seems to be asking me that question. But I think the answer is simple…I just love ski racing.”
She added, “I will stand in the starting gate tomorrow and know I am strong. Know that I believe in myself. Know that the odds are stacked against me with my age, no ACL, and a titanium knee- but know that I still believe. And usually, when the odds are stacked against me the most, I pull the best of what’s inside me out.”
