Lindsey Vonn Reflects on “Regrets” After Olympics 2026 Crash

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Lindsey Vonn’s path to recovery hasn’t been easy.

Following a crash during the Olympic women’s downhill final in Cortina, Italy on February 8th, the ski racer provided an update on her recovery after undergoing another surgery.

Lindsey shared on Instagram on February 14th that her surgery went well. After undergoing over three procedures in the past week following the incident, she’s happy to finally be returning to the US. She plans to share more details about her injury once she’s back home.

Right now, the 41-year-old is thinking about the scary moment when they broke their left shinbone.

Looking back on the crash, she clarified that she wasn’t reckless. She understood the dangers involved and consciously chose to take a chance. All the skiers in the starting gate faced the same risk, because ultimately, no matter how skilled or strong you are, the mountain is always in control.

“Please don’t be sad,” she said. “Even though things didn’t turn out as planned, the experience was worth it. I have no regrets, and I still love skiing. I’m already dreaming of being back on top of that mountain, and I know I’ll get there again.”

And while the Olympian is grateful for all the well wishes, she isn’t interested in anyone’s pity.

I’ve seen many messages saying they’re sad about what I’m going through. While I appreciate the kindness and support, please don’t feel sad for me. I’d rather this inspire you to stay strong and keep fighting for what you believe in – that’s exactly what I’m doing, and I’ll continue to do, always.

Lindsey, who is aiming for the 2026 Olympics despite tearing her ACL and returning to competition after a five-year break, explained that her fall wasn’t related to her injury. It happened immediately after she accidentally bumped her arm on a gate as the race began.

She explained that she was determined to give her all, even if it meant risking failure, because she knew she had the ability to succeed. She’d rather push herself to the limit and potentially fall than hold back and wonder what could have been. She never wanted to finish a race with regrets. Honestly, she felt physically stronger at that moment than she had in a long time.

She felt much stronger than she did when she finished competing in 2019, when she won a bronze medal at the World Championships. She also felt mentally at her best – clear-headed, focused, determined, and assertive, but still completely calm.

But even though Lindsey didn’t finish the race with gold, she noted that trying was the real prize.

I felt more prepared than ever before,” she explained. “But being ready didn’t mean success was certain. Nothing in life is guaranteed, and pursuing your dreams always involves risk. You might fail, but if you don’t even try, you’ll always wonder what could have been.

For more memorable moments from for the 2026 Olympics, read on…

Ilia Malinin, the U.S. 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 practicing for the monobob, a one-person bobsleigh race for women.

After the women’s snowboard halfpipe event, Korean snowboarder Gaon Choi took a photo with American Chloe Kim and Japan’s Mitsuki Ono, captured using the 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 competition.

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

Biathlete Lou Jeanmonnot of France celebrated her silver medal win in the women’s 15km individual biathlon event by playing with the official mascots, Milo and Tina, from the Milan-Cortina Olympics. She received the plush toys as part of her prize.

After completing the super-G race, skier Dmytro Shepiuk wrote a message of support for Ukrainians 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.

Skater Maxim Naumov of the U.S. clutches a photo of his parents, who have passed away, after his performance in the men’s singles short program.

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.

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 event 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 a torn ACL 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 showed a very tense reaction during 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.

Oh my gosh, Evan Bates and Madison Chock? They’re just made for each other out there on the ice! Seriously, when they do their rhythm dance, it’s like watching a perfect connection – everything just flows. It’s not just skating, it’s… magical. You can tell they’re a real couple, and it totally shows in their performance!

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

Australian snowboarder Valentino Guseli embraced Team Czechia’s Jakub Hrones after competing in the men’s snowboard big air qualifying round.

Bulgarian ski jumper Vladimir Zografski hits the brakes during a training session.

Korey Dropkin, an American curler, celebrated with a shout after his team won against Switzerland in a mixed doubles curling match.

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2026-02-16 00:17