Lindsey Vonn’s sister has shared an update on the athlete’s “rough” recovery following her terrifying Olympic accident.
The Alpine ski racer’s dream was shattered when she lost control just 13 seconds into her downhill run at the Milan Cortina Games and had to be airlifted to a hospital on February 8.
“I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulting in my crash,” Lindsey explained in an Instagram post.
Lindsey Vonn‘s sister has shared an update on the Olympic skier following her February 8 accident
As a result of the accident, the skier broke her leg and has since undergone four surgeries to repair a complex tibia fracture.
The 41-year-old Olympian had suffered a serious ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury in January but stressed that the incident did not affect her performance in the women’s downhill race.
She has also made it clear that she has “no regrets” about participating in the Winter Olympics and acknowledged that Alpine skiing is “an incredibly dangerous sport.”
Lindsey’s older sister, Karin Kildow, has now told TMZ Sports that the Olympic medalist is taking her recovery “one day at a time.”
“It’s been a rough one, been in the hospital a lot,” she said on Sunday (February 15) after Lindsey’s fourth surgery.
“She’s super strong, but there’s a lot of surgeries and things. We’re working on getting her back to the US.”
Lindsey competed in her fifth Olympics just nine days after rupturing the ligaments in her left knee
The following day, Lindsey confirmed she had returned to her home country and thanked the medical staff in Italy for their treatment.
“'[I] haven’t stood on my feet in over a week… been in a hospital bed immobile since my race,” she wrote on X.
“And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing… huge thank you to everyone in Italy for taking good care of me.”
Lindsey also shared a video taken by Karin that showed her doing physical therapy at the hospital, having her hair washed, and being fed dinner.
“Thankful for friends, family, my team and all the medical staff that are getting me back to myself….I’m slowly coming back to life, back to basics and the simple things in life that mean the most,” she captioned the post.
The athlete will reportedly undergo at least one more surgery in the United States.