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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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American alpine skiing legend Lindsey Vonn suffered the worst-case scenario at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.
The 41-year-old came out of retirement to compete on the biggest global stage only to suffer a torn ACL one week before the Opening Ceremony then suffer a debilitating broken leg during her heat that nearly required amputation.
Now, Vonn, who’s nearly one month removed from the first of her five surgeries to repair her fractured leg, is bracing for yet another setback — though this one has nothing to do with her rehabilitation or recovery since returning home from Italy.
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Vonn announced on her Instagram page that she’s going to fall out of the top spot on the women’s downhill standings — a position that she’s held for the entire 2025-26 season.
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“Well… I’ve had the red leader bib from the first race of the season until now, but in all likelihood tomorrow will be my last day as #1,” Vonn wrote on Friday. “At the beginning of the season no one would have ever believed I would be even close to this position. And I bet people would have laughed if it was even suggested. But winning the title was my goal… and I came painfully close to achieving it.
“… I was on the podium of every single downhill race, including 2 wins. I clawed my way back to #1 in the world after being retired for 6 years with a partial knee replacement and that alone was an incredible achievement I won’t ever forget. Even though in a few days no one will remember that I almost won the season title, I will remember. I didn’t want to win the title to prove anything to anyone. I did it because I knew I could. I just wish I had a chance to fight until the end to try and get it.”
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Vonn crashed 13 seconds into her race in Milan. She didn’t win a medal, but she reminded the rest of the sports world just how tenacious she is.
In her career, Vonn has three Olympic medals — gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G at the 2010 Vancouver Games, and bronze in the downhill at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
Vonn hasn’t definitively stated whether or not she’s retired, but she’ll be 45 when the next Winter Olympics rolls around, and few would blame her if Milan was her swan song.
“Wherever this path leads I will find my way,” Vonn added. “I always do. Skiing is what I love to do but it’s not who I am. There are so many reasons to be happy. So much to be thankful for 🙏🏻 Thank you all for coming on this journey with me ❤️.”
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