Federica Brignone lit up the Cortina slopes with an unforgettable Super-G win at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games. The Italian star stood tall on the podium, with Romane Miradoli taking silver, just 0.41 seconds behind, and Cornelia Huetter claiming bronze. But what made the moment even more stunning was everything she had gone through to get there.

After crashing at the 2025 Italian Championships last April, Brignone fought through an injury-disrupted season and still managed to power her way back to the top, capturing gold at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. And now, Lindsey Vonn is all praises for the Italian pro.

It was a tough day overall for Team USA. Mary Bocock and Breezy Johnson both failed to finish after crashing into the safety netting, despite Johnson having already won gold in the women’s downhill earlier in the week. Vonn knows that pain better than anyone.

Just 13 seconds into her own run, she suffered a horrific crash that left her with a complex tibia fracture and required an airlift off the course. So when she spoke up after the race, it carried a little extra weight.

Taking to her official X account, “Congrats Fede!! What an incredible comeback!!” wrote Lindsey Vonn.

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She reshared Milano Cortina 2026’s post, where they were also congratulating the 35-year-old for her heroic win on Thursday. And there’s a reason why we call it heroic!

Only weeks before her home Games, Federica Brignone was dealing with a brutal double leg break. In such a scenario, most athletes would’ve been focused just on healing, not racing. But somehow, she made it to the start line and even became an Olympic champion.

She flew down the course, crossed the finish in 1:23.41, slid into the leader’s chair, and simply waited to see if anyone could touch her time.

One by one, racers came up short.

In fact, 10 of the first 24 starters didn’t even finish, including her own teammate Sofia Goggia. Still, nothing was certain until the final runs were done.

Brignone could only watch as others tried to chase her mark. As the times flashed on the board and narrowly missed hers, she puffed out her cheeks, almost in disbelief. After that, no one really came close.

“I was expecting my skiing to be really confident and try to make every turn clean and be, not perfect, but to let my skis go and be smooth through the terrain,” Brignone shared.

Later, when asked if she ever imagined winning gold so soon after returning to competition, her answer was honest and almost stunned.

“No, never. That’s maybe why I did it, because today I was an underdog. I was an outsider, but I know what I can do with my skis. It’s crazy. I don’t think I’ve realised it.”

The medal carried even more weight because it marked the first gold by an Italian Alpine skier at the Milano-Cortina Games.

But for Lindsey Vonn, fate has something else in store.

Lindsey Vonn battles her third surgery pain

Lindsey Vonn came into the Olympics chasing history, hoping to become the oldest woman ever to win an Olympic alpine skiing medal. But instead of a podium moment, her run ended in heartbreak.

On Sunday, February 8, she crashed hard and was later diagnosed with a complex tibia fracture, instantly turning her Olympic dream into a medical emergency.

The damage was serious. Doctors moved quickly, performing two procedures right away (one to stabilize her left leg and another to maintain proper blood flow). Still, the ordeal wasn’t over.

Soon after, there was an update about a third surgery.

On February 11, Vonn shared the news herself on Instagram: “I had my 3rd surgery today, and it was successful. Success today has a completely different meaning than it did a few days ago.”

She also opened up about how recovery has been going.

“I’m making progress and while it is slow, I know I’ll be ok,” she shared photos of her external fixators (equipment used to stabilize broken bones and joints from outside the body) on her left leg.

Moreover, given the nature of a complex tibia fracture, multiple surgeries aren’t unusual. Injuries like this often mean the bone is shattered or broken in several places.

Even after three surgeries in just 72 hours, Vonn has stayed remarkably positive, leaning on the people around her for strength.

“Thankful for all of the incredible medical staff, friends, family, who have been by my side and the beautiful outpouring of love and support from people around the world. Also, huge congrats to my teammates and all of the Team USA athletes who are out there inspiring me and giving me something to cheer for ❤️🤍💙,” she added.

Meanwhile, her father, Alan Kildow, shared his thoughts with the Associated Press.

Deep down, he hopes this marks the end of her racing days.

“She’s 41 years old, and this is the end of her career. There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.”