‘It was a one in a thousand’ - US skiing great Lindsey Vonn undergoes two operations after breaking leg in Olympics

Vonn, 41, was flown by helicopter to the Ca' Foncello Hospital in the city of Treviso from Cortina d'Ampezzo after her audacious bid to win downhill gold with a ruptured knee ligament ended in agony on Sunday.

The American had damaged her ACL when falling in a World Cup race at Crans-Montana just over a week ago but still lined up in Sunday’s event at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre.

She was operated on by a joint team of local orthopaedic and plastic surgeons, the source close to the matter said on Monday, explaining that the procedures were intended to prevent complications linked to swelling and blood flow.

Vonn's personal doctor was present but only assisted during the procedures, the source added.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee did not respond to a request for comment about the treatment for Vonn, one of the most decorated ski racers in history.

The hospital had said she underwent an operation to stabilise her left leg, but did not mention a second procedure.

The Cortina crowd had raised a huge cheer as Vonn pushed out of the gate but fell almost silent as she crashed out, before again applauding her off the mountain as the helicopter passed overhead.

Vonn’s team-mate and reigning world champion Breezy Johnson took the title, becoming the first American woman to win the event since Vonn’s triumph in Vancouver in 2010.

Johnson said: “The work that we put in, the careers, my heart aches for her. It’s a tough road, and it’s a tough sport.

“That’s the beauty and the madness of it, that it can hurt you so badly, but you keep coming back for more.

“I don’t have anything except that her coach said she was cheering for me in the helicopter. I hope for the best for her. I hope that it’s not too bad. My heart aches for her. It’s such a brutal sport sometimes.”

'ONE IN A THOUSAND' ACCIDENT

The case has highlighted a debate in elite sport over who decides when an injured athlete is fit to compete and what message those decisions send.

International Ski Federation (FIS) President Johan Eliasch said the competitor had to make up their own mind.

"I firmly believe that this has to be decided by the individual ... And in her case, she certainly knows her injuries a lot better than anybody else," he told reporters on Monday.

"And what is also important for people to understand that the accident that she had yesterday, she was incredibly unlucky. It was a one in a thousand. She got too close to the gate, and she got stuck when she was in the air in the gate and started rotating."

His view was echoed by Pierre Ducrey, sports director of the International Olympic Committee.

"She was able to train and made the choice with her excellent team to take part," he said.

The US ski team had inspected several facilities before selecting Treviso, some 125km from Cortina, favouring it over a closer hospital in Belluno because Treviso also has a neurosurgery department, the source said.

Vonn has been inundated with messages of support from the sporting world and beyond.

"You are a great inspiration and an example of perseverance," said tennis great Rafa Nadal. "Stay strong and get well soon!"

Vonn initially retired from the sport in 2019 due to injury but, after undergoing a partial knee replacement in April 2024, she returned to competition in December that year and had won two World Cup events this season before her fall in Switzerland.

She had successfully completed two practice runs on the course on Friday and Saturday, wearing a brace on her injured knee, and her coach Aksel Lund Svindal felt she was in “good enough” condition to challenge for a medal.

Another team-mate, fourth-placed Jacqueline Wiles, said: “Watching Lindsey go down from the start was pretty awful.

“We have such a sisterhood. We travel with each other on the road. We’re a family. To watch someone that you care about so much, it sucks.

“My heart broke for her in that moment, but that is the inherent risk of the sport.”

The fourth member of the US team, Isabella Wright added: “You don’t want that for anyone and you especially don’t want it for your team-mate and for Lindsey.

“I always say this, ‘if anyone can do it, it’s Lindsey’. Whatever it is, or whatever the situation, she’s very strong. We’re going to support her the best we can.”

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