1 month ago
Lindsey Vonn says she is still recovering physically and emotionally from her crash astatine nan Winter Olympics and does not cognize when, aliases if, she will title again.
The 41-year-old has undergone 8 surgeries aft suffering a analyzable near limb fracture – one that astir led to a limb amputation – successful nan women’s downhill successful February. She needs astatine slightest 1 much cognition to repair a torn ACL successful nan aforesaid knee.
“I conscionable don’t want to jump to immoderate conclusions aliases moreover estimate connected what I mightiness do,” Vonn said. “I whitethorn retire. I whitethorn ne'er title again and that would beryllium wholly fine, but I’m not successful a position emotionally to make that determination astatine this point.”
Vonn collapsed conscionable 13 seconds into February’s Olympic downhill race, ending a play successful which she led nan World Cup downhill standings and hadn’t vanished worse than 4th successful immoderate race.
She has returned from an assortment of injuries earlier – she has a titanium implant successful her correct knee – but she says this 1 was different. The 8 surgeries are conscionable 1 awkward of nan full she had for each nan others combined.
“It’s a overmuch different wounded successful that way, again, for illustration nan severity of nan wounded and knowing that I could person mislaid my limb and really bad things were,” Vonn said. “I tin woody pinch a batch of pain, but this was truthful extreme. It’s not moreover been successful nan beingness of symptom pinch this wounded arsenic what I’ve had before.”
Vonn says she is making advancement successful and retired of nan gym, though not arsenic quickly arsenic she would like. She nary longer uses a wheelchair and is connected crutches, and adjacent week will beryllium capable to statesman stepping short distances unaided.
Vonn said she hasn’t spoken to her expert astir what a return to skiing would look like.
“Regardless, thing would really hap until [the 2027-28 season] because I still person 1 much room near to return retired nan metallic and to switch my ACL. That still needs to happen,” Vonn said. “Once I get my ACL fixed, past that’s different six months, truthful I person astatine slightest I would opportunity a twelvemonth and a half up of maine earlier I could really beryllium backmost to 100%, moreover conscionable training successful nan gym.”
After her Olympic clang her begetter said her profession would beryllium complete if it were up to him.
“He intends nan best,” Vonn said. “He forgot nan cardinal norm pinch maine is that if you don’t want maine to do something, you shouldn’t show maine I can’t. Tell maine I can’t and I’ll beryllium you wrong.”
For now, Vonn said she’s focused connected getting her limb healthy. Only aft that’s done tin she commencement reasoning astir a profession that whitethorn aliases whitethorn not beryllium over.
“I’m still, for illustration I said, successful endurance mode that I conscionable want to get done this shape and beryllium capable to measure wherever I americium successful my life,” said Vonn, whose 84 World Cup wins are second-most among women, trailing only her US teammate Mikaela Shiffrin (110). “And return count of what I’ve done and return count of what could beryllium and make decisions successful a overmuch amended spot than wherever I americium now.
“I don’t want to make a determination now because I deliberation that would beryllium rash and astir apt excessively affectional and I don’t want to make a mistake, you know?”
