Lindsey Vonn suffered a crash during the women’s downhill event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 8, leaving her with a complex fracture in her left leg. The three-time Olympic medalist has undergone eight surgeries since the accident and is still preparing for another procedure, tentatively planned for November. Despite her ongoing medical treatment and uncertainty surrounding her return to competitive skiing, Vonn has now been named to the U.S. Alpine Ski Team.
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On October 7, U.S. Ski & Snowboard officially announced its 2026-27 Alpine Ski Team roster, which includes 49 athletes. The squad features Olympic champions Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin, along with Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Jacqueline Wiles, Paula Moltzan, and other American skiers. Vonn was also named to the roster, even though she remains in rehabilitation and is not expected to compete while recovering from her injuries. The organization said athletes qualified under its existing selection criteria.
Vonn’s inclusion follows her strong performances during the 2025-26 World Cup season. Before her Olympic crash, she finished 12th overall in the World Cup standings, ranked fifth in downhill and was the highest-ranked American woman in Super-G. Her previous results helped secure her place on the team, but the selection does not mean she has been medically cleared to race.
The 41-year-old is still facing another operation as part of her recovery. According to USA Today, Vonn is expected to undergo surgery in November to remove the plates and hardware used to repair her fractured left leg and reconstruct her torn anterior cruciate ligament. She sustained the ACL injury in a World Cup crash before the Olympics, then suffered the severe leg fracture during the downhill event in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The next procedure will be followed by another lengthy rehabilitation period. Vonn has said she has not yet discussed a possible return to skiing in detail with her doctor, as both prefer to focus on her current recovery rather than make plans too far ahead. “Regardless, nothing would really happen until ’27-28 because I still have one more surgery left to take out the metal and to replace my ACL. That still needs to happen,” Vonn said.
She also explained that ACL reconstruction would require at least another six months of recovery. Even returning to full training in the gym could take around a year and a half, leaving her competitive future uncertain. Despite the lengthy recovery ahead, Lindsey Vonn has not ruled out a return to competitive skiing, even as her father, Alan Kildow, believes she should bring her racing career to an end.
Lindsey Vonn pushes back against father’s retirement demand
On February 8, Vonn crashed just 13 seconds into the women’s downhill race at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy. After clipping a gate, she lost control and suffered a complex fracture of her left tibia. She was airlifted from the course and taken to hospital for emergency treatment. The severity of the accident left her family deeply concerned about her future in the sport.
Just one day after the crash, Kildow made his position clear, saying, “She’s 41 years old and this is the end of her career.” He added, “There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn, as long as I have anything to say about it.” Vonn, however, pushed back against the growing calls for her retirement. On March 15, she addressed the discussion about her future in a social media post.
“At my age, I’m the only one that will decide my future,” Vonn wrote. She added, “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. Please stop telling me what I should or should not do. I’ll let you know when I decide.”
In an April 30 interview with the Associated Press, Vonn offered a more personal perspective, acknowledging that retirement remained a possibility. “I may retire. I may never race again and that would be completely fine, but I’m not in a position emotionally to make that decision at this point,” she said.
She also acknowledged that retirement had been a possibility even before the accident. After returning to competition following nearly six years away from ski racing, Vonn had already been considering what she wanted from the next stage of her career. The crash, however, left her facing that decision under far more difficult circumstances. For now, Vonn has left the door open to both possibilities.