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From Glory to Grief: Ski Icon Admits She’s Just Surviving ‘One Day at a Time’ — And the Real Story Is Even More Painful

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Vonn previously shared that she would be wheelchair-bound for “a while” after sustaining a complex tibia fracture and breaking her right ankle in the horrific crash

Lindsey Vonn Says She 'Broke Down' amid Her Recovery After Olympics Crash

Lindsey Vonn; Vonn with her dog Chance.Credit : IOC via Getty; Lindsey Vonn/Instagram 

Lindsey Vonn is taking her recovery “one day at a time.”

The Olympian, 41, shared a look on Instagram on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at one of the more positive moments she’s experienced as she continues her recovery from a complex tibia fracture that she sustained during the 2026 Winter Olympics.

During the Milan Cortina Games on Feb. 8, Vonn suffered a horrifying crash after clipping a gate and falling just 13 seconds into her run in the women’s downhill. This came one week after tearing her ACL at a World Cup race in Switzerland.

In the latest video she posted, she could be seen reuniting with her dog Chance. The pup could be seen happily giving the athlete a hug as she sat on a reclined chair while wagging his tail excitedly. Vonn could be seen giving him loving back scratches in return as she smiled.

“Reunited with Chance…. ❤️❣️,” she captioned the video, before going on to share that she “broke down” earlier this week amid her recovery.

“Had a pretty hard day yesterday, everything just really hit me hard and I broke down. I know there will be a lot of days like this… the internal mental battle has just begun but moments like this help me so much. Just miss my boy Leo…,” she said, before adding, “One day at a time.”

Vonn previously revealed her dog Leo had died just one day after her crash, while was still in the hospital in Italy.

Lindsey Vonn Returns Home to U.S. Following Winter Olympics Crash

Lindsey Vonn in the hospital.Lindsey Vonn/Instagram 

Her latest post comes after she reflected in a post on X on Feb. 24 on the “mental battle” that she would endure in addition to the physical battle amid her recovery. She previously shared that she will be wheelchair-bound for “a while” after also breaking her right ankle in the crash, but is hoping to soon be able to transition to crutches for a couple of months.

“It hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s a battle I’m used to because I’ve done it so many times. I have always learned from every injury. Each one has made me a better and stronger person in different ways… but the battle of the mind can be dark and hard and unrelenting,” she shared.

The athlete added that someone close to her likened her to a “master at the psychological game of life,” but she wasn’t sure “if that’s true.” She continued, “… I do know hard days are coming but I will find a way back to the top of the mountain of life.”

The skier — who previously won four World Cup overall championships with titles in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012 — has been keeping fans updated on her condition following the crash.

She has had five surgeries following the complex tibia fracture, which she said left “everything” in “pieces,” including her “muscles, nerves and tendons.” Following her latest surgery last week, Vonn confessed that she was “struggling a bit” due to “the extent of the trauma” and revealed that the crash was so bad that it almost resulted in her leg being amputated as she had something called compartment syndrome.

Lindsey Vonn Returns Home to U.S. Following Winter Olympics Crash

Lindsey Vonn in the hospital.Lindsey Vonn/Instagram 

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Vonn added that compartment syndrome is where “too much blood” is in one area of her leg and has “crushed” everything including her “muscles, nerves and tendons.”

Lindsey Vonn reacts after taking part in the second official training for the women's downhill event ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games

Lindsey Vonn after taking part in a downhill training run at the 2026 Winter Olympics.Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty 

“Dr. Tom Hackett saved my leg. He saved my leg from being amputated,” she said, before adding a more hopeful note at the end of her video.

“It’s going to be a long road, but I always fight,” she said. “I’ll keep going. No regrets. I just appreciate all the love and support. It’s been amazing. Overwhelming to an extent. I wish it had ended differently, really, but I’d rather go down swinging than not trying at all.”

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