Lindsey Vonn returns to the US after crashing the Winter Olympics

Vonn was the Olympic downhill champion in 2010 and was hoping for a fairytale ending to her illustrious career.

She retired from the sport in 2019 as the most decorated female skier at the time, after sustaining several serious leg injuries.

After undergoing a partial right knee replacement, she announced her surprise return to sports in 2024.

Since then, she has been on the podium eight times on the World Cup circuit, including two golds, and was a favorite to win a medal at her fifth and final Olympics.

But despite suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Switzerland in her final World Cup race before the Games, she was determined to take to the track in Cortina where she had enjoyed so much success.

Think about the incident on Instagram, external She said in a blog post on Sunday that she was “looking forward to the moment when I can stand on top of the mountain again.”

She added: “When I think about my accident, I did not stand at the starting gate unaware of the potential consequences. I knew what I was doing. I chose to take the risk.”

“Every skier at the starting gate has taken the same risk. Because even if you are the strongest person in the world, the mountain always holds the cards.

“I was willing to risk, push and sacrifice for something I knew I was fully capable of doing. I will always take the risk of crashing while doing my best, rather than not skiing to my full potential and having regrets.”

“I never want to cross the finish line and say ‘what if?’ And to be completely honest, I was physically stronger in that moment than I have often been in the past.”