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- Lindsey Vonn injury history timeline
- Lindsey Vonn injuries list
- Is Lindsey Vonn still competing?
- How old is Lindsey Vonn?
As one of the United States' brightest-ever Olympians, it's easy to portray Lindsey Vonn's career as one defined by its peaks.
With one Olympic gold medal and two Olympic bronzes — as well as eight World Championships medals — Vonn is the United States' finest-ever alpine skier.
But the Saint Paul, Minnesota native hasn't been without her setbacks, either. Her career has also been shaped by lengthy injury absences, with the ski racer suffering more than a dozen spells on the sidelines for a variety of issues.
With that, AllSportsPeople examines Vonn's most noteworthy injuries over the years.
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Lindsey Vonn injury history timeline
Lindsey Vonn has collected a fair few scrapes, bruises, tears and fractures over the years. Here's a look at her complete injury timeline.
February 2006: Bruised hip
Vonn was briefly felled by a bruised hip after crashing during a downhill training session at the 2006 Olympics. She was airlifted via helicopter off the mountain in Torino, being examined for her wounds — which also included a bruised thigh and aching back — at a local hospital.
Wanting to return to action, Vonn attempted to sneak out of the medical center. She was back on the slopes less than 48 hours later, competing in all four events she entered into while posting a top result of seventh in the super-G.
"It's definitely weird," Vonn said, according to ESPN, "going from the hospital bed to the start gate."
February 2007: ACL sprain
Vonn went down with a season-ending ACL sprain after crashing during a training run in Are, Sweden at the 2007 World Championships. She claimed silver medals in the downhill and super-G prior to her wreck, which resulted in partial ACL tears to her right knee.
February 2009: Lacerated right thumb
Vonn's unlikeliest injury came after she claimed gold in the downhill at the 2009 world championships in Val d'Isere, France. While attempting to pose for a photo during the post-race celebrations, Vonn sliced her thumb open on a champagne bottle. Vonn underwent surgery to repair a cut tendon. Despite her malady, she continued racing, earning a spot on the podium on nine separate occasions.
"I'm not going to be opening champagne bottles any time soon — probably not for the rest of my life," Vonn said. "That's a mistake you definitely learn from."
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December 2009: Bruised left forearm
Vonn lost her balance and tumbled during the opening run of a World Cup giant slalom in Lienz, Austria, leaving her left forearm battered and bruised. She wound up not missing a race.
February 2010: Bruised right shin, broken right pinkie
Vonn entered the Vancouver Olympics carrying a bruised right shin after slamming her right leg in slalom practice 10 days before the competition kicked off. She used painkillers, numbing cream and topfen, a semisoft Austrian cheese, to remedy her ailments, becoming the first American woman to land downhill gold in the process. During the giant slalom, she slammed into the ground following a twirl, breaking her right pinkie.
February 2011: Concussion
Vonn sustained a concussion after suffering a fall during a World Cup practice in Austria. She attempted to return to competition at the world championships a week later, but eventually withdrew.
February 2013: Torn ACL, MCL, tibial plateau fracture
Vonn underwent reconstructive surgery on her knee after tearing her ACL and MCL and fracturing the tibial plateau in her right knee following a series of violent crashes at the 2013 World Championships and training.
Vonn geared up her training in the hopes of competing at the 2014 Olympics. But she completely tore her surgically-repaired ACL after crashing at a World Cup downhill race in Val d'Isere, France in December 2013. She summarily ruled herself out of the Sochi Games, not returning to World Cup competition until December 2014.
August 2013: Broken left ankle
Vonn was sidelined three months after sustaining a broken ankle during preseason training camp. She missed three months as a result of the malady.
February 2016: Fractures in left knee
Vonn exited a World Cup super-G in Andorra via sled after tumbling during her run. She returned to action one day later, before missing the next year after being diagnosed with three fractures in her left knee.
November 2016: Fractured humerus bone in right arm
Training day proved dangerous for Vonn, who broke her humerus bone in her right arm after suffering a crash while practicing in Colorado. She went under the knife to repair the issue, which she called the "hardest recovery of my career."
December 2017: Acute facet (spinal joint) dysfunction
Vonn jarred her back while competing at a super-G race in December 2017. She skipped the next day's race before returning to action the following week.
November 2018: Completely torn LCL, three tibial plateau fractures in left leg
Vonn completely tore her LCL and suffered three plateau fractures in her left leg after crashing during a November 2018 training session. She continued to compete in spite of her ailments, although she announced her retirement following the end of the 2019 World Championships. Vonn, who earned bronze in the downhill at the competition, cited the toll from her various absences as the reason why she was stepping away.
April 2024: Partial knee replacement
Vonn underwent partial knee replacement surgery in April 2024, hoping to use the operation as a springboard to launch the second chapter of her glistening career. She spent eight months on the mend, getting her knee acclimated to its latest neighbor. But the surgery worked a treat, with Vonn capturing two downhill wins ahead of the 2026 Olympics.
January 2026: Left knee/leg injury
Vonn was airlifted after crashing during her final downhill race before the 2026 Olympics. She underwent medical checks following the collision, although the severity of the injury is unknown as of Friday, Jan. 30.
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Lindsey Vonn injuries list
| Date | Injury | Time missed |
| February 2006 | Bruised hip | 0 days |
| February 2007 | ACL sprain | Four weeks |
| February 2009 | Cut right thumb | 0 days |
| December 2009 | Bruised left forearm | 0 days |
| February 2010 | Bruised right shin, broken right pinkie | 0 days |
| February 2011 | Concussion | 1 week |
| February 2013 | Torn ACL, MCL, tibial plateau fracture | 10 months |
| November 2013 | Partial tear of surgically repaired right ACL | 1 year |
| August 2015 | Broken left ankle | 3 months |
| February 2016 | Fractures in left knee | 1 year |
| November 2016 | Fractured humerus bone in right arm | 2 months |
| December 2017 | Acute facet (spinal joint) dysfunction | 1 week |
| November 2018 | Completely torn LCL, three tibial plateau fractures in left leg | 1 year (then retirement) |
| April 2024 | Partial knee replacement | 8 months |
| January 2026 | Left knee/leg injury | TBD |
Is Lindsey Vonn still competing?
Vonn is presently still competing, having returned to action in December 2024 after stepping off skis for five years. She was 40 when she scaled the slopes, with one of her knees held together with a titanium implant.
Vonn's operation was an immediate success, providing her the relief needed to mount a charge down snow-covered surfaces.
“I can’t tell you how big of a difference it makes to be able to ski without pain,” Vonn told the Wall Street Journal's Rachel Bachman in 2024. “It’s a completely new world for me. I haven’t felt this good in 15 years.”
The results proved promising. Unfettered by the aches and pangs that defined the final few years of her pre-retirement career, Vonn surged past her adversaries, earning podium places in all but one World Cup race ahead of the 2026 Olympics. Vonn captured gold in two downhill races upon her return, vanquishing all comers in downhill competitions in St. Moritz, Switzerland (December 2025) and Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria (January 2026).
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Is Lindsey Vonn going to the Olympics?
Vonn was slated to compete in the Olympics after posting circuit-leading metrics among downhillers in the World Cup field. Across five downhill events, Vonn captured two wins and placed in the top-three on the other three occasions. Her worst finish, when taking into account downhill and super-G races, was fourth. She expressed interest in finishing her career at Cortina d'Ampezzo, the site of 12 of her World Cup wins.
After suffering an apparent left knee injury in a tune-up race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland on Jan. 30, it's unclear whether Vonn will compete, though. She was airlifted from the World Cup race, reportedly carrying "an anxious expression" as she limped into a medical tent prior to her exit.
"I know she hurt her knee' I talked to her," Urs Lehmann, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation CEO, told reporters in the finish area, according to the Associated Press. "I don't know if it's really heavy and [if] she won't miss the Olympics. Let's wait for what the doctors are saying."
Lindsey Vonn also posted about the crash on social media and has not ruled out the Olympics.
On Instagram, Lindsey Vonn addresses crash and knee injury. “It’s not over until it’s over.” Pic.twitter.com/gRBC9TdeH9
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) January 30, 2026
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How old is Lindsey Vonn?
Vonn is 41 years old. She'll turn 42 on Oct. 18. If she were to capture a medal in Milan, she'd surpass Frenchman Johan Clarey to become the oldest alpine skier to collect an ornament at the Olympics.
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