While the chances of Lindsey Vonn’s return remain uncertain, one thing is very clear- she doesn’t want her story to end the way it did. The 3x Olympic medalist made her return to the Winter Olympics this February at Milano Cortina but faced a horrific crash 13 seconds into her run down the Olimpia delle Tofane. Since then, the world has been waiting for a comeback. Now, Vonn has finally added some clarity on that with her assessment of what the future looks like for her on the slopes.

“I don’t like to close the door on anything, because you just never know what’s going to happen,” she told Vanity Fair.

“It’s hard to tell with this injury. It’s so f****d up. I really feel like that was a horrible last run to end my career on.”

Well, at 41, after coming out of retirement and returning to competitive racing, Lindsey Vonn had looked unbeatable. She even had podiumed in seven of her eight World Cup races and was seen by many as a serious contender for Olympic gold. But despite her strong form, the crash in Cortina showed her how unpredictable sport can be.

“Number one in the world, and potentially on my way to an Olympic medal,” she said of her standing before the fall. “Now I’m in a wheelchair.” But still she revealed about coming back, “I have no idea what my life will be like in two years or three years or four years,” Vonn said of her future. “I could have two kids by then. I could have no kids and want to race again. I could live in Europe. I could be doing anything.”

After all, Vonn didn’t suffer a simple injury. The crash she endured in the Olympic downhill was catastrophic as she shattered her tibia, fibula, and ankle. However, the fractures were only part of it. Vonn also developed compartment syndrome. If not treated fast, this can lead to permanent nerve damage or even amputation. Since then, she has undergone at least 5 surgeries to repair the damage and deal with the complications.

She admitted that the road to recovery has been long, but at the same time, didn’t try to hide away from her feelings. Fondly remembering her run at Milano Cortina, she said, “I only made it 13 seconds. But they were a really good 13 seconds.”

One thing Vonn made clear recently on X: “I’m the only one that will decide my future. I don’t need anyone’s permission to do what makes me happy. Maybe that means racing again, maybe that doesn’t. Only time will tell.” She doesn’t want people to remember her for the injury. She wants to be remembered for what she did, not how it ended.

Lindsey Vonn refuses to let one crash define her career

Lindsey Vonn retired from competitive skiing in 2019, only to make a bold return five years later. At 41, she came back stronger than many expected, dominating her second season on the World Cup circuit. She made history in 2025 by winning the downhill race in St. Moritz and becoming the oldest skier, male or female, in World Cup history to claim a downhill victory at age 41.

Leading up to the Olympics, Vonn reached the podium in all downhill races and even finished third in a January 2026 World Cup downhill. By the time the Olympic downhill started, she was leading the World Cup downhill standings with two victories in the discipline that season. But despite these achievements, the crash at the 2026 Olympic downhill threatened to overshadow her legacy.

Lindsey Vonn, however, refuses to let that moment define her career. “I don’t want people to hang on this crash and be remembered for that,” she said. “What I did before the Olympics has never been done before. I was number one in the standings. No one remembers that I was winning.”

Well, for now, Lindsey Vonn’s life revolves around recovery. She spends two hours on physical therapy at home, two hours in a hyperbaric chamber, and continues to train in her home gym. She has also shared progress updates on social media, including a video of herself doing pull-ups, which was a clear sign that her strength is slowly returning after five surgeries.