Lindsey Vonn Reflects on Ski Accident in First Interview Since Olympics

Skier Lindsey Vonn is opening up to Vanity Fair about the horrific moment she crashed during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Lindsey went down 13 seconds into her race in the women’s downhill ski competition after her arm clipped a gate pole. She had to be airlifted to medical care and then transferred for surgery.

The accident happened days after she tore her ACL in the World Cup Race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Speaking with Vanity Fair, Vonn recalled the Olympics crash.

“My leg was broken. My skis were still on. My leg was torqued and I couldn't get my skis off,” she said. "I couldn't move, and I was yelling for help.”

She added softly, “I just needed someone to take my skis off.”

There was some backlash over Lindsey’s choice to race after her ACL injury.

Vonn told the magazine, “Everyone said it was reckless and I was taking a spot from somebody else and all this nonsense. I’m not crazy. I know what I can do and what I can't do.” 

She insisted, “I don’t want people to hang on this crash and be remembered for that. What I did before the Olympics has never been done before. I was number one in the standings. No one remembers that I was winning.”

Tom Hackett, head physician for Team USA Ski and Snowboard, explained the extent of Lindsey’s Olympics injury.

“I’m sure you’ve seen hot dogs or brats on a grill. They get more and more swollen. Then all of a sudden, they burst. They crack. That’s basically what happens with compartment syndrome,” he said of her leg. "There was a very significant chance that she was going to lose all function of her leg, if not the leg itself. Best-case scenario in those situations is, you might keep your leg, but it’s going to be useless.”

For now, Vonn is focused on her extensive recovery, but she’s also looking at the future.

She said, “I don't like to close the door on anything, because you just never know what's going to happen. I have no idea what my life will be like in two years or three years or four years. I could have two kids by then. I could have no kids and want to race again. I could live in Europe. I could be doing anything.”