Stepping out from a hospital bed after nursing a brutal leg injury for two weeks can sure feel like freedom. To quote Lindsey Vonn, it felt “amazing” to ditch the Milan episode and return to U.S. soil after her Winter Olympics crash. But this time, what she’s experiencing is more measured than relief alone.

Lindsey Vonn’s sister shared their brave escapade on Instagram. “If nothing else, we know how to entertain ourselves…knees not required. “

Now that’s a bold statement. While Vonn was seated on an electric scooter, she was pulling a “heavy load” with her sister on the back, all while still having a black knee brace on, given her Winter Olympics injury. It was the kind of moment that looked carefree (almost defiant).

And the next two updates just seemed to sharpen that perspective.

Karin’s next story captured Lindsey Vonn in a wheelchair, while another showed her hanging on gymnastics rings and doing knee raises. These show Vonn has been inching toward progress and isn’t letting her injury limitations restrict her.

More so, these updates come days after Vonn gave a detailed statement on her future, “No, I’m not ready to discuss my future in skiing. My focus has been on recovering from my injury and getting back to normal life.”

She’s clearly living up to her word. Although these updates weren’t the first of their kind.

A few days back, Vonn shared an update from the gym. There, Lindsey Vonn was performing a single-leg glute bridge with her injured leg elevated while Karin checked on her. Lindsey looked a little tired and even took a short nap, but when she woke up and replied, “No days off from therapy for rehab.”

However, this update marks an important milestone in Vonn’s healing journey after a crash that almost cost her leg. But the question is, will she return to the sport?

Lindsey Vonn’s return to the sport is not guaranteed

On February 8, Lindsey Vonn faced the unexpected as she crashed just 13 seconds into her run in the women’s downhill event at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. She was quickly airlifted to a hospital in Italy, where doctors confirmed multiple serious injuries, including a complex tibia fracture, fibular head fracture, tibial plateau fracture, and compartment syndrome. But the reality is, all of this has put a big question mark on her skiing career.

At 41, she knows time is a factor but she hasn’t made any decisions yet. When someone suggested on X that she should retire, she didn’t hold back: “Who said I was retiring?”

Vonn is asking her fans to be patient. “No, I’m not ready to discuss my future in skiing,” she wrote in a recent post.

“It was incredible to be #1 in the world again at 41 years old and set new records in my sport, but at my age, I’m the only one who will decide my future. I don’t need anyone’s permission to do what makes me happy. Maybe that means racing again, maybe it doesn’t. Only time will tell. Please stop telling me what I should or should not do. I’ll let you know when I decide.”

For now Lindsey Vonn’s focus is clear: healing, staying strong and taking recovery one day at a time.