Lindsey Vonn Reacts to Being Called Out for Competing at Olympics

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Lindsey Vonn is defending her place in the 2026 Olympics.

The alpine skier, who fell during the women’s downhill race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games on February 8th, responded to criticism about her choice to compete despite having multiple surgeries to repair a broken left leg. She stated she had the same right to race as any other athlete.

It really hurt when people accused me of being selfish and said I didn’t deserve my place on the Olympic team,” she shared in an Instagram post on February 21, accompanying a video of her races leading up to the Winter Games. “I wanted to explain my season to those who don’t understand what it takes to qualify, and also to look back on everything I’ve accomplished.

Despite a recent difficult experience, the 41-year-old athlete feels her hard work paid off. She pointed to her success this season, having finished on the podium – meaning in the top three – at every downhill race she entered. This is especially meaningful considering her previous Olympic achievements: a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games and a bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

She described achieving something many believed she couldn’t, especially after having a partial knee replacement. She said she’ll cherish the experience forever and was thankful for every single moment, calling it all incredibly worthwhile.

Lindsey ended her message with a hopeful note, saying, “Anything can happen until it’s over. I didn’t quite achieve what I was aiming for, but I’m still proud of everything I accomplished.”

While recovering, the athlete talked about the race that went wrong, emphasizing that she understood the dangers of her sport.

Reflecting on her crash, the skier explained on Instagram that she wasn’t reckless. She understood the risks involved in competing and made a conscious choice to take them, just like every other skier at the starting line. She emphasized that no matter how skilled or strong an athlete is, the mountain ultimately controls the outcome.

Knowing how the race went, Lindsey encouraged her fans not to be disappointed with the outcome.

She went on to say that even though she crashed, the experience was still worthwhile. At night, she feels no regret and her passion for skiing hasn’t diminished. She’s already dreaming of being back on top of the mountain, and she’s determined to get there.

For more highlights from the 2026 Winter Games, keep scrolling…

Figure skater Amber Glenn became emotional after a mistake on her triple loop jump during the women’s short program.

Tom Wilson of Canada scuffles with Pierre Crinon of France in a rare Olympic hockey fight.

Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen was overcome with emotion after making history by winning Brazil’s first-ever gold medal at the Winter Olympics, taking the top spot in the men’s giant slalom.

Stevenson Savart, Haiti’s first-ever Olympic cross-country skier, finished the men’s 10km race to a standing ovation.

Spanish figure skater Tomas Guarino performs his short program dressed as a Minion, inspired by the movie Despicable Me.

A dog wanders onto the track during the women’s team cross country free sprint qualifiers.

Curler Marc Kennedy observed his teammate, Brad Jacobs, putting on lip balm during a men’s round robin game.

Ilia Malinin, the American figure skater nicknamed “Quad God,” surprisingly fell during his free skate performance, which resulted in an eighth-place finish.

German bobsledder Laura Nolte prepares before a training session for the monobob, which is a one-person bobsleigh race for women.

After the women’s snowboard halfpipe event, Korean snowboarder Gaon Choi posed for a photo with American Chloe Kim and Japan’s Mitsuki Ono. The picture was taken with a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition phone.

Nika Egadze, a figure skater from Georgia, took a photo with Simone Biles, the most decorated Olympic gymnast ever, while at the men’s singles figure skating event.

A cameraman captured U.S. skiers Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin embracing after completing their second run in the women’s team combined slalom competition.

I was so thrilled to see Lou Jeanmonnot celebrating her incredible silver medal win! She absolutely crushed the women’s 15km individual biathlon, and it was adorable to see her playing with the official Milan-Cortina Olympics mascots, Milo and Tina – they gave her the plushies as part of her prize! It really showed her joyful personality.

After completing the super-G race, skier Dmytro Shepiuk wrote a message of support to his Ukrainian compatriots on a sticky note.

Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto is surprised by her score in the women’s singles free skating team event.

Speedskater Jutta Leerdam of the Netherlands cried tears of joy after discovering she’d broken the Olympic record in the women’s 1,000-meter race.

China’s Eileen Gu competes in the women’s freestyle slopestyle—which earned her a silver medal.

Oh my gosh, seeing Maxim Naumov after his short program just wrecked me. He was holding a photo of his parents, his late parents, so close to his heart. It was heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. You could just feel how much they meant to him, even in that moment of intense competition. It really showed how he’s skating for them, you know?

A composite image shows off the many tricks seen in the women’s freestyle slopestyle. 

Figure skater Ekaterina Kurakova of Poland celebrated her performance with teammates, holding up a plush pierogi—a popular and iconic Polish food—after completing her short program.

No, it’s Team Austria’s ski jumper Julia Muehlbacher.

Selina Egle and Lara Michaela Kipp of Austria zoom by during the luge women’s doubles.

The figure skating team who won the medal took a selfie with a special Olympic Edition Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 while celebrating on the podium.

Lindsey Vonn, a U.S. skier, appeared focused and determined while training just days after suffering an ACL tear in a crash.

Alysa Liu, representing the United States, performs a Biellmann spin during her short program in the women’s single skating competition.

Jennifer Dodds of Team Great Britain looked very anxious while watching the curling mixed doubles round robin match against South Korea.

Snoop Dogg,serving as an Olympics correspondent for NBC, tries his hand at curling at a practice.

Evan Bates and Madison Chock, both U.S. figure skaters and a couple in real life, seem perfectly in sync when they perform their rhythm ice dance.

Laila Edwards, the first African American woman to play hockey for the U.S. in the Olympics, competes against Sara Cajanova of the Czech Republic during their game.

During the men’s snowboard big air qualifying round, Australian snowboarder Valentino Guseli embraced Jakub Hrones from Team Czechia.

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2026-02-22 02:47