Lindsey Vonn has demonstrated her commitment to bouncing back from a severe leg injury sustained during the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Six weeks following her dramatic fall at the Milan and Cortina games, the 41-year-old athlete shared a video on Instagram on Saturday, March 21, showing her performing full sets on a pull-up bar at the gym.
“First set of pull ups post surgery… slowly getting there,” Vonn wrote in the Instagram caption.
Her followers praised her determination, with Chelsea Handler commenting, “INSPIRING, INCREDIBLE, BEAST MODE.”
The accomplished skier entered the Olympics in Italy after tearing her ACL in a World Cup race in Switzerland on January 30. Despite the odds, Vonn persevered through the Olympic trials to compete in Milan and Cortina.
A mishap occurred just 13 seconds into her women’s downhill event on February 8, resulting in a crash that required her to be airlifted to a hospital for an emergency orthopedic procedure to stabilize a complex tibia fracture.
Vonn underwent further medical treatments in Italy and later in the U.S., revealing that the injury was so severe she nearly faced leg amputation.
“Dr. Tom Hackett saved my leg,” Vonn explained in a social media post. “He saved my leg from being amputated. He performed a fasciotomy, opening both sides of my leg to let it breathe, effectively saving me.”
As Vonn began physical therapy in early March, she expressed her frustration at losing her place at the top of the downhill skiing world rankings.
“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 posted on Instagram on March 6. “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.”
Vonn remarked that while she doesn’t like to boast about her accomplishments, she felt it was important to highlight her success after nearly six years of retirement.
“I was on the podium of every single downhill race, including 2 wins,” she noted. “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.”
Amid speculation about her future in the sport, Vonn tweeted on March 14, “Who said I was retiring?”
A fan responded, suggesting “the ego is so strong in this one” and advised her to “put your feet up and be done.”
Vonn replied, “Think you’re mistaking ego for joy,” correcting them. “I’ve said it my whole life; I love skiing. I’ll put my feet up when I’m good and ready, thank you.”
