Lindsey Vonn Finally Leaves Hospital After Horror Winter Olympics Crash — Reveals Recovery Timeline & Return to Skiing, As Doctors Explain

Lindsey Vonn Finally Leaves Hospital After Horror Winter Olympics Crash — Reveals Recovery Timeline & Return to Skiing, As Doctors Explain

 

 

 

Lindsey Vonn’s nightmare at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics didn’t end with the crash — but her hospital saga finally did. After nearly two weeks in intensive care, the 41-year-old alpine skiing legend was discharged Monday, Feb 23, 2026, smiling through tears and already plotting her comeback. “I’m bionic for real now,” she joked on Instagram, posting X-rays showing plates and screws holding her shattered left tibia together after five surgeries — four in Italy, one back home in the U.S.

The injury was brutal: a complex tibial fracture involving breaks to her tibial plateau and fibular head, complicated by compartment syndrome — a rare but dangerous condition where swelling cuts off blood flow to muscles. Doctors warned it could’ve led to amputation if untreated ³. “It required a lot of plates and screws to put back together,” Vonn wrote, crediting surgeon Dr. Tom Hackett for “an incredible job.”

Her recovery timeline? Realistic expectations from medical experts suggest elite athletes need 6–12 months to heal fully, regain strength, and return to competitive skiing . Vonn herself hasn’t given an exact date yet, but she hinted she’ll share more details soon ³. Based on past recoveries of similar injuries among top athletes, insiders predict she could be back on the slopes by late 2026 or early 2027 — some even speculate she might aim for the 2030 Winter Games, echoing comments from snowboard legend Shaun White who said Vonn’s “determined personality won’t let her stop.”

Beyond the physical battle, Vonn used her hospital stay to address critics who questioned whether she should’ve given up her Olympic spot after rupturing her ACL just days earlier. She posted her season stats: #1 in downhill standings, 3rd in Super-G, two downhill wins, and seven out of eight podium finishes. “It wasn’t all for nothing… I did it. I came back. I won,” she wrote .

Now home and beginning outpatient rehab, Vonn says she’s “slowly coming back to life” — grateful for family, medical staff, and fans who’ve kept her spirits up ⁷. While she can’t stand or put weight on her leg yet, physical therapy starts immediately, focusing on regaining range of motion, strength, and eventually explosive power needed for downhill racing.

Vonn’s release marks the end of one chapter — and the beginning of another. She isn’t just recovering. She’s rewriting what’s possible for an athlete her age after catastrophic injury.