It was one of the most heartbreaking stories of the Winter Olympics. Lindsey Vonn had to be airlifted out by helicopter and rushed to a hospital after crashing during the women's downhill in Italy.

It was remarkable that the American was even competing, having torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the build-up to the Winter Games. Sadly, her decision to rush back to action nine days after the injury proved to be unwise.

The immediate fallout was distressing, to say the least, as graphic images revealed the severity of her leg break. Speaking in February, weeks after the Olympics crash, Vonn revealed how close she was to losing her leg:

"Dr Tom Hackett saved my leg from being amputated. He did what is called a fasciotomy, where he cut open both sides of my leg and let it breathe and he saved me."

Fast forward to November, and an update has emerged on the 42-year-old alpine ski racer, but it's not good news.

Vonn To Undergo Ninth Surgery And Could Be Sidelined For Most of 2027

As reported by The Athletic, Vonn is now set to undergo her ninth surgery since tearing her ACL on the cusp of the Milan Cortina Olympics at the start of 2026. Surgeons Tom Hackett and Randy Viola are scheduled to repair her torn ACL, in what has been described as potentially a 'life-changing procedure.'

The article went on to explain that the American has had three titanium plates and a lot of screws holding her leg together for the past seven months while the bones healed. They must now be removed for the new ACL, and there could be more work as well.

Hackett and Viola will need to repair whatever else they find during the surgery that still needs fixing and hasn’t shown up on an MRI, partly because the metal blocks a clear view. When all is done, Vonn is facing another six- to nine-month recovery process.

Amid it all, Vonn's spirit cannot be doubted. The Olympian is certain she will ski again. As quoted by The Athletic, she said:

“I don’t think there will be a time where I’m not wanting to be going fast. I wish I could be out there. I want to get through this surgery and see where things are, and we’ll see, you know, if I physically and mentally want to keep skiing, or if I’ll just be out there recreationally.”

It's worth remembering that she initially retired from the sport six years ago, but then returned to action with her Olympic dream alight. Sadly, though, she crashed just 13 seconds into her run in the Dolomites and may never ski at that level again.

Vonn's Mental and Physical Struggles After Winter Olympics Crash

Reflecting on the public reaction to her horrific injury, the 42-year-old was glad for the support, but spoke of unfinished business, stating: “The amount of support and love I’ve gotten from so many people has been really overwhelming.

“But as an athlete, I feel like I didn’t accomplish what I set out to accomplish, and so in some ways, I have a hard time accepting the support that I’ve got because I do feel like I would wish for a different outcome.”

She added: “It’s just hard to accept the support when I wish I could have done something more worthy of it."

After the crash in February, she was confined to a wheelchair, and it took months before she could move onto crutches before finally walking without aid. Even then, there were issues with her knee flexion. Vonn's leg had been immobilised for so long, it was unclear if she'd ever be able to touch her heel to her glute again.

There was so much scar tissue that it was hard to break through it when she bent her knee, but eventually things improved and she's been able to get to the gym and even play tennis. But with ACL surgery on the horizon, the road to full recovery remains distant.

Complicating matters, Vonn also damaged her patellar tendon in the crash. If it’s healed, they can use part of it to fix her ACL. If not, though, the surgeons will have to use part of her quadriceps tendon. Having also shattered her fibular head, it could be difficult to procedure. “We won’t know everything until we get in there,” she said. “I’m hoping and planning for a best-case scenario, but there are things that could change.”

She concluded: “I just really want to get to the other side of this, and I think once I get there I’ll be much happier.”

The surgery will take place at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado, later this month.