Lindsey Vonn injury history: Full timeline of USA Olympic skiing legend’s surgeries and comebacks

Lindsey Vonn Injury History: Full timeline of U.S. Olympic skiing legend’s surgeries and return originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.

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As one of the smartest Olympians the United States has ever produced, Lindsey Vonn’s career could easily be described as a career in its prime.

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With one Olympic gold and two Olympic bronze medals and eight World Championship medals, Vonn is the best alpine skier the United States has ever produced.

But the St. Paul, Minn., native hasn’t been without his share of setbacks. Her career was also marred by long-term injuries, with the skier spending more than a decade on the sidelines with various issues.

Sporting News takes a look back at Vaughn’s most noteworthy injuries over the years.

More:Lindsey Vonn airlifted from track ahead of 2026 Winter Olympics

Lindsey Vonn injury history timeline

Lindsey Vonn has had her fair share of scrapes, bruises, lacerations and broken bones over the years. Here’s a complete timeline of her injuries.

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February 2006: Bruised buttocks

Vonn suffered a brief fall at the 2006 Olympics when he fell during a downhill workout and bruised his hip. She was airlifted by helicopter from the hills of Turin and was examined at a local hospital for injuries that included abrasions to her thighs and back pain.

In order to return to the battlefield, Vaughn tried to sneak out of the medical center. Less than 48 hours later, she was back on the slopes, competing in all four events she entered, with a top finish of seventh in the super-G.

“It’s definitely weird going from the hospital bed to the starting gate,” Vaughn said, according to ESPN.

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February 2007: ACL sprain

At the 2007 World Championships, Vonn fell during a training session in Aal, Sweden, resulting in a sprained anterior cruciate ligament and a season-ending injury. She had won silver medals in downhill and super-G events before the accident, which left her with a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

February 2009: Torn right thumb

Vonn’s most unlikely injury occurred after winning downhill gold at the 2009 World Championships in Isère, France. Warne cut his thumb on a champagne bottle while trying to pose for a photo during the post-match celebrations. Vaughn underwent surgery to repair a severed tendon. Despite her illness, she continued to compete and finished on the podium nine times.

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“I won’t be opening a bottle of champagne anytime soon — probably not in my lifetime,” Vaughn said. “This is a mistake you absolutely have to learn from.”

more: When will the Winter Olympics start?

December 2009: Bruised left forearm

Vonn lost her balance and fell during the first round of the World Cup giant slalom in Lienz, Austria, injuring her left forearm. She ended up not missing a game.

February 2010: Injury to the right calf and fracture of the right little finger

Ten days before the start of the competition, Vonn broke her right leg during slalom training, and she competed in the Vancouver Olympics with a bruised right calf. She treated her condition with painkillers, numbing cream and tolfen (a semi-soft Austrian cheese), becoming the first American woman to win a downhill gold medal in the process. During the giant slalom, she hit the ground after spinning and broke her right little finger.

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February 2011: Concussion

Warne suffered a concussion after falling during World Cup training in Austria. A week later, she attempted to return to the World Championships but ultimately withdrew.

February 2013: ACL, MCL tear, tibial plateau fracture

After a series of violent collisions at the 2013 World Championships and in training, Vonn tore his ACL and MCL, fractured the tibial plateau of his right knee, and subsequently underwent reconstructive knee surgery.

Vonn is preparing to train for the 2014 Olympics. But in December 2013, she completely tore her surgically repaired ACL after falling during a World Cup downhill race in Val d’Isère, France. She immediately gave up her qualification for the Sochi Winter Olympics and did not return to World Cup competition until December 2014.

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August 2013: Fractured left ankle

Vaughn injured his ankle during preseason training camp and missed three months. She was absent for three months due to illness.

February 2016: Fracture of left knee

Vonn retired from bobsled after a fall during the World Cup super-G race in Andorra. She returned to action a day later but was sidelined the following year after being diagnosed with three fractures in her left knee.

November 2016: Fracture of humerus in right arm

Training days proved dangerous for Vonn, who was involved in a car accident while training in Colorado and fractured the humerus in her right arm. She underwent surgery to repair the problem, which she called “the hardest recovery of my career.”

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December 2017: Acute facet joint (spinal joint) dysfunction

In December 2017, Vonn suffered a shock to his back while competing in a super-G race. She skipped the next day’s game and then resumed the next week.

November 2018: Complete LCL tear, three tibial plateau fractures in left leg

Vonn suffered a complete tear of her LCL and three plateau fractures in her left leg after she fell during a practice in November 2018. Although she announced her retirement after the 2019 World Championships, she continued to compete despite her illness. Vonn, who won a bronze medal in the downhill at the event, cited the toll of repeated absences as the reason for her withdrawal.

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April 2024: Partial Knee Replacement

In April 2024, Vaughan underwent partial knee replacement surgery, hoping to use this surgery as a springboard to start the second chapter of her brilliant career. She spent eight months recovering and letting her knee adjust to its new neighbors. But the surgery helped, and Vonn earned two downhill wins ahead of the 2026 Olympics.

January 2026: ACL rupture

Vonn was airlifted after falling during his final downhill race before the 2026 Olympics. Following the accident, she underwent medical examination and announced at a press conference on Tuesday, February 3, that she had suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. That put her Olympic qualification into question, but at a news conference Vonn said she still planned to compete.

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She completed two workouts in the women’s downhill, but suffered a horrific crash at the top of her run during the medal race on Sunday, February 8. Vonn screamed in agony as she was treated and then airlifted to hospital, where her Olympics were surely over.

more: Why was the “Rough Confrontation” star selected as a Winter Olympics torchbearer?

Lindsey Vonn injured list

Is Lindsey Vonn still competing?

Vonn will return to competition in December 2024 after five years away from skiing. By the time she climbed the slopes, she was 40 years old and had one of her knees held together with a titanium implant.

Vaughan’s surgery was an immediate success, providing her with the relief she needed to charge on the snow-covered ground.

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“I can’t tell you how much of a difference it is to be able to ski without pain,” Vonn told The Wall Street Journal’s Rachel Bachman in 2024. “It’s a whole new world for me. I haven’t felt this good in 15 years.”

The results proved promising. Unhampered by the ailments that plagued the final years of her career before retirement, Vonn outclassed her rivals to take podiums in all but one World Cup race ahead of the 2026 Olympics. Since returning home, Vonn has won gold medals in two downhill events, beating everyone in the downhill competition in St. Moritz, Switzerland (December 2025) and Altenmarkt-Zochensee, Austria (January 2026).

more: Meet the U.S. Figure Skating Team competing in the Winter Olympics

Will Lindsey Vonn compete in the Olympics?

Vonn was planning to compete in the Olympics after achieving leading times among downhill athletes at the World Cup. In five downhill races, Vonn earned two wins and placed in the top three in the other three. Taking into account downhill and super-G events, her worst finish was fourth. She has expressed interest in ending her career in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she won 12 World Cup titles.

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Her status has been up in the air since she suffered a torn ACL on January 30 during a shunting event in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Vonn confirmed her injury at a press conference but said after skiing earlier in the day that she planned to compete in her first Olympic race on Sunday, February 8, and that she would wear protective gear. However, her bid for the women’s downhill title ended with a nasty crash and what appeared to be further injuries.