Lindsey Vonn says she remains in the thick of a long recovery after the crash that ended her Olympic run, revealing on SportsCenter that her left knee still lacks an anterior cruciate ligament and her right ankle remains broken nearly five months on.
Injury status and recovery hurdles
The former Olympic downhill gold medallist described a body still healing in uneven ways: the left leg, while improving, does not yet have an ACL to stabilise the knee, and the right ankle has not fully mended from the impact suffered in Italy.
"My left leg is actually healing really nicely. I still have no ACL, so I need to get the metal out and fix that. But yeah, my right ankle's been the problem child. It's still broken, but it doesn't hurt that much."
Vonn, who retired for six years before returning to competition, told viewers the rehabilitation process has been both slower and more painful than past recoveries. She said the bone-healing timeline and the intensity of pain in this episode have surprised her, testing her patience and mental preparation in new ways.
Public appearances and future plans
Despite ongoing physical limitations, Vonn has maintained a public presence while rehabbing at her Utah home. She attended the Met Gala in May without crutches and appeared at the ESPY Awards to present the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award. Her SportsCenter interview came from Fanatics Fest in New York, where she also participated in a panel with notable sports figures discussing ownership stakes in women's sports teams.
- Left knee: No ACL; requires metal removal and surgical repair.
- Right ankle: Still broken; persistent but reduced pain.
- Rehab timeline: Much longer and more painful than previous injuries, per Vonn.
Context and implications
Vonn's update underscores the long tail of elite-sport injuries even for athletes experienced with rehabilitation. She has a history of injuries over her career but characterised this recovery as markedly different — both in duration and pain level. The disclosure that she remains without an ACL is notable given the ligament's central role in knee stability and the typical surgical and rehabilitation pathway most elite skiers follow.
| Body part | Condition |
|---|---|
| Left leg (knee) | No ACL; healing; future surgery to remove metal and repair ACL |
| Right ankle | Still broken; less painful but problematic for rehab |
Vonn has not ruled out a return to competition once she feels fully functional, but the facts she presented point to a cautious road ahead. For a figure who has been both an athletic icon and a high-profile ambassador for women's sport, the narrative now pivots from race-day heroics to the slow, technical business of reconstruction and recovery.
As rehabilitation continues, observers will be watching surgical timelines for the left ACL, the plan to extract any hardware, and how the persistent ankle injury responds to treatment — all key factors in any potential comeback and in broader discussions about athlete health post-Olympics.
