Lindsey Vonn undergoes third surgery for leg injury from Olympics crash

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy - Ski star Lindsey Vonn said Wednesday that she has gone under the knife a third time after breaking her leg in the crash that dashed her hopes of Winter Olympics glory.

Lindsey Vonn has undergone a third surgery to repair her leg following her dramatic crash at the Winter Olympics.
Lindsey Vonn has undergone a third surgery to repair her leg following her dramatic crash at the Winter Olympics.  © Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/@lindseyvonn & Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

Vonn wrote on Instagram that the surgery was a success, following two other operations to stabilize what on Monday she called a "complex tibia fracture" in her left leg.

"I had the third surgery today and it was successful," Vonn said alongside a photo of her in her bed at the Ca' Foncello hospital in Treviso.

Olympian asks professor for assignment extension – and he has the best response!
Olympics Olympian asks professor for assignment extension – and he has the best response!

"Success today had a completely different meaning than it did a few days ago. I'm making progress and while it is slow, I know I'll be OK."

The photo also shows the external fixation device put in place to stabilize what Vonn has already described as a "complex tibia fracture" that she suffered just seconds into her medal bid in the women's downhill final at the Milan-Cortina Games.

Vonn, the 2010 Olympic downhill champion, was making an audacious attempt for a medal after suffering a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee last month.

She had resumed her career in late 2024 after nearly six years in retirement and was considered a strong favorite for the downhill at the Winter Olympics before she suffered the ACL injury in a crash in Crans Montana, Switzerland.

Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot/Instagram/@lindseyvonn & Marco BERTORELLO / AFP

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