‘Thankful’: Lindsey Vonn Begins Rehab After Devastating Leg Injury

Published: March 10, 2026

By Mallory Mattingly

Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn is not letting a serious injury that almost resulted in getting her leg amputated keep her down.

While competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics, the downhill skier crashed, resulting in a complex tibia fracture. She developed compartment syndrome, which almost resulted in amputation.

Just one week after returning home, Vonn was already rehabing her injured leg. A video on Instagram showed her doing single-leg extensions.

“Definitely some hard times but still thankful… still working hard. The only goal is to get healthy. One day at a time,” Vonn captioned the video.

As she recovers from her injury, the athlete recently shared another hard defeat: losing the red leader bib, which indicated Vonn’s lead in downhill skiing for the season.

“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 said earlier this month. “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 then listed some of her biggest accomplishments in her career to remind herself of what she’s accomplished and overcome.

“I was on the podium of every single downhill race, including 2 wins. 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,” she revealed. “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…”

“However, as I sit here I have to reflect and wonder; why does a title mean so much to me? Why am I crying over a crystal trophy?” she asked before adding, “It’s because skiing has always been the thing I love to do most in this world. It has always brought me incredible joy, especially this season. But what I am realizing is that not having one more title doesn’t make this season less extraordinary. It doesn’t take away the joy I had standing in the starting gate or crossing the finish line and seeing #1 next to my name.”

“It doesn’t take away from the incredible time I had with my team and teammates,” Vonn continued. “Singing and dancing with fans and kids in the stadium. Those memories aren’t washed away because of a title. My tears just mean I care. I always have. That’s why I work so hard. Skiing is my passion. Whether I’ll ever be able to do it again is yet to be seen. But at least I have the memories, with or without a title, I feel privileged to have had this adventure.”