Treviso, Italy - After her serious crash in the Olympic downhill, Lindsey Vonn has spoken out for the first time. The 41-year-old emphasized that the incident had nothing to do with her previous injuries and made it clear that she has "no regrets."

On Monday, Vonn, who could have broken the record for the oldest female ski medal winner at the Olympics with another medal, posted a long and emotional statement on Instagram.

"Yesterday my Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would. It wasn't a story book ending or a fairy [tale], it was just life," the four-time overall World Cup winner wrote from the hospital.

"I dared to dream and had worked so hard to achieve it. Because in Downhill ski racing the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as 5 inches," she continued.

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This is exactly what happened in Cortina: Vonn had skied a little too close to a gate, got her hand caught in it, and spun, causing her to fall badly.

Neither her recently ruptured ACL nor any other previous injuries had anything to do with it, Vonn emphasized.

The consequence: "Unfortunately, I suffered a complex tibia fracture, which is currently stable but will require several operations to treat it properly."

But despite the shattered dream and the severe physical pain, Vonn has no regrets.

"Standing in the starting gate yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk," she said.

"It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport."

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She wants to inspire people with her story because just like skiing, life is about taking risks and pursuing big dreams.

"I hope if you take away anything from my journey it's that you all have the courage to dare greatly," the 2010 Olympic gold medallist wrote.

"Life is too short not to take chances on yourself. Because the only failure in life is not trying."