Lindsey Vonn Responds to Supporter in First Social Media Post After 2026 Winter Olympics Return Crash

Milan — Lindsey Vonn responded to a journalist’s post on social media on Monday, the first message directly from Team USA’s star skier after she He broke his leg in a devastating accident. the day before at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

“Thank you Dan,” Vonn said, responding to a lengthy statement posted by British sportscaster Dan Walker, who wished Vonn well and praised her resilience.

The Italian hospital where she is being treated issued a statement Sunday saying that Vonn suffered a broken leg in “a nasty fall” during her women’s downhill race in Cortina.

“She was treated by staff from the Regional Olympic Medical Service and immediately transferred by plane to the Codivilla Polyclinic, managed by the Local Health Authority,” the hospital reported on Sunday.

“Diagnostic tests were carried out and the decision was made to transfer her to the Ca’ Foncello hospital in Treviso. The American athlete was admitted to the hospital and treated by a multidisciplinary team. This afternoon she underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilize the fracture in her left leg,” the hospital added.

Vonn, 41, crashed during her downhill race on Sunday after deciding to compete in the Winter Games despite tearing her left ACL in a crash during a World Cup event in the Swiss Alps a week earlier.

The American, who came out of retirement to compete in the 2026 Winter Games, said she felt confident she could finish the race despite her injury, with the help of a knee brace.

But seconds into the race, Vonn lost control after hitting a flag marking the side of the course, flew sideways in the air and hit her head on the ground. She responded but did not get up. The medical staff loaded her onto a stretcher and took her off the field by plane.

“She will be fine, but it will be a process,” U.S. Ski and Snowboard Sports Chief Anouk Patty said Sunday. “This sport is brutal and people need to remember, when they watch it, that these athletes are charging down the mountain and going very, very fast.”