Lindsey Vonn’s fairy tale Olympics came to *** brutal stop on the downhill course. She had said that her goal was to make it to the starting gate, but she didn’t make it much farther. It seemed almost too good to be true. 9 days after rupturing her left ACL, Lindsey Vonn met her goal of starting the downhill race. 13th on the start list and just 13 seconds into her run, Vonn clipped *** gate, spun around, and crashed hard, leaving fans watching, gasping. It was just Shocking how fast it happened and how early in the run. You think it’s 90 seconds she’s got it. She’s done all this prep. It’s *** great story. And then for it to fall apart in 15 seconds was heartbreaking. Vaughn had to be airlifted from the course while the competition went on hold and her teammates watched. Her coach said that she was cheering for me in the helicopter, so I hope, I hope for the best for her. I hope that it’s not too bad. And yeah, I mean my Aches for her. It’s such *** brutal sport sometimes. American Breezy Johnson, the world champion in downhill, took Olympic gold, Team USA’s first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics. I hope that we can keep this ball rolling, and yeah, I mean, I guess it’s exciting and *** little bit surreal to be the first one or whatever. The Fellow Americans Jackie Wild came in 4th and Bella Wright came in 21st at the Milan Cortina Olympics. I’m Juha Fitzpatrick.
Lindsey Vonn says surgery saved her from having her left leg amputated after Olympic crash
American skier Lindsey Vonn says she nearly lost her left leg following a frightening crash in the women’s downhill at the Milan Cortina Olympics.Vonn revealed in an Instagram post on Monday that her injuries went far beyond the complex tibia fracture in the leg she initially hurt after clipping a gate and sailing off course just 13 seconds into her run on Feb. 8.The 41-year-old Vonn said the trauma from the crash led to compartment syndrome in her leg. Compartment syndrome involves excessive pressure building up inside a muscle, either from bleeding or swelling. High pressure restricts blood flow and can lead to permanent injury if not treated quickly.”When you have so much trauma to one area of your body so that there’s too much blood and it gets stuck, and it basically crushes everything,” Vonn said.Vonn credited Dr. Tom Hackett, an orthopedic surgeon who works for Vonn and Team USA, for conducting a fasciotomy to salvage her leg.”He filleted it open (and) let it breathe, and he saved me,” she said.Vonn noted that Hackett was only in Cortina because she was competing after tearing the ACL in her left knee shortly before the Olympics.”If I hadn’t had done that, Tom wouldn’t have been there (and he) wouldn’t have been able to save my leg,” she said.Vonn, who said she has been discharged from the hospital, also broke her right ankle in the crash.
American skier Lindsey Vonn says she nearly lost her left leg following a frightening crash in the women’s downhill at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Vonn revealed in an Instagram post on Monday that her injuries went far beyond the complex tibia fracture in the leg she initially hurt after clipping a gate and sailing off course just 13 seconds into her run on Feb. 8.
The 41-year-old Vonn said the trauma from the crash led to compartment syndrome in her leg. Compartment syndrome involves excessive pressure building up inside a muscle, either from bleeding or swelling. High pressure restricts blood flow and can lead to permanent injury if not treated quickly.
“When you have so much trauma to one area of your body so that there’s too much blood and it gets stuck, and it basically crushes everything,” Vonn said.
Vonn credited Dr. Tom Hackett, an orthopedic surgeon who works for Vonn and Team USA, for conducting a fasciotomy to salvage her leg.
“He filleted it open (and) let it breathe, and he saved me,” she said.
Vonn noted that Hackett was only in Cortina because she was competing after tearing the ACL in her left knee shortly before the Olympics.
“If I hadn’t had done that, Tom wouldn’t have been there (and he) wouldn’t have been able to save my leg,” she said.
Vonn, who said she has been discharged from the hospital, also broke her right ankle in the crash.
