Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn said she suffered a compound leg fracture during Sunday’s downhill race at the Milan and Cortina Olympics, which will require multiple surgeries.
In a post on Instagram, the 41-year-old added how he doesn’t regret anything and that the anterior cruciate ligament rupture and other earlier injuries were not related to the fall in the attempt to win the gold, which went to her colleague, the American Breezy Johnsonreports Reuters.
Vonn, the second most successful female World Cup skier of all time with 84 wins, had two operations in Italy for stabilization after the terrible fall that took place 13 seconds after the start of one of the most anticipated races at the Winter Olympics.
My Olympic dream didn’t end the way I dreamed. It wasn’t a fairy tale ending, it was simply reality. I dared to dream and worked so hard to make it come true. Because in the descent, the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be very small, Vonn wrote.
My right arm got caught inside my neck, which spun me around and caused me to fall. My previous injuries had nothing to do with that fall. Unfortunately, I suffered a complex fracture of the tibia which is currently stable but will require multiple surgeries to properly repair it, she clarified.
Lindsey Vonn’s fall has opened up a wider debate about who decides when an injured athlete is ready to compete and what message such decisions send.
Vonn, 2010 Olympic championwas hoping to become the oldest alpine skiing medalist in Games history, after winning two World Cup downhill races this year and standing on the podium three more times.
She leads the overall World Cup downhill standings by 144 points and even though her season is over, she could still win the crystal globe in that discipline.
The very realization that I was standing there with an opportunity to win it was a victory in itself. I also knew that racing was a risk. It has always been and it will always be an incredibly dangerous sportaccording tosaid Vonn.
Lindsey Vonn’s terrible fall at the Olympics, she performed despite torn ligaments
(www.jabuka.tv | Photo: X)
