Lindsey Vonn says she could have lost her left leg after complications from her crash in the women’s downhill at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Vonn suffered a serious and complex fracture after crashing out of the race two weeks ago.
Vonn required prolonged medical attention on the slope before being airlifted from the piste, prompting concern among spectators and officials alike.
Her decision to compete had already been regarded as a major risk, having sustained an ACL injury in Switzerland at the final World Cup race before the Games. However, Vonn was determined to race at what she has described as her final Olympic appearance.
In an Instagram post the 41-year-old 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.
The Games ended on Sunday, with Team GB picking up five medals.
Who is Lindsey Vonn?
Lindsey Vonn is one of the most decorated alpine skiers in the history of the sport, widely regarded as the greatest female ski racer of all time. Vonn burst onto the international scene as a teenager and went on to dominate the World Cup circuit for two decades.
Her list of achievements is staggering. Vonn claimed four overall World Cup titles (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012) and won an astonishing 82 World Cup races across her career – a women’s record that stood as one of the most celebrated in all of sport. She won Olympic gold in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and collected two World Championship medals along the way.
Known for her fearless approach on the mountain, Vonn specialises in speed events – downhill and super-G – where her combination of technical precision, physical power, and sheer nerve set her apart from the field. She also became one of the most recognisable athletes on the planet, transcending skiing to become a global sporting icon.
