Lindsey Vonn breaks silence on horror crash that ended Winter Olympic dreams and reveals latest update on injuries

Lindsey Vonn has revealed she suffered a ‘complex fractured shin bone’ and will need ‘multiple’ surgeries following the horrific crash that ended her Olympic career on Sunday.

Breaking his silence on the ordeal, which has already required two surgeries, the 41-year-old also stressed that his crash in the downhill final in Cortina was not due to the ruptured knee ligaments he suffered in the same left leg nine days ago.

The American star said the following in his post on Instagram: ‘Yesterday, my Olympic dream did not turn out as I imagined. This wasn’t a storybook ending or a fairy tale, it was just life. I dared to dream and worked hard to achieve it.

‘Because in Downhill ski racing the difference between a strategic dash and a serious injury can be as little as 5 inches.

‘I had only 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm wrapped around the inside of the door, spinning me around and resulting in me crashing. My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my accident.

‘Unfortunately, I have suffered a complex tibia fracture which is now stable but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly.

Lindsey Vonn underwent two surgeries on injured leg after Olympic accident

Former Olympic champion crashed in the women’s downhill final on Sunday

‘Even though yesterday did not end the way I had hoped and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets. Standing at the starting gate yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget.

‘Knowing that I stood there and had a chance to win was a victory in itself. I also knew that racing was risky. It has always been, and always will be, an incredibly dangerous sport. Similar to ski racing, we take risks in life. We are dreaming. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall.

‘Sometimes our hearts break. Sometimes we can’t achieve the dreams we know we can have. But that’s also the beauty of life; we can try. I tried. I had a dream. I jumped.

‘I hope if there’s one thing you take away from my journey, it’s that you all have great courage. Life is too short not to give yourself a chance. Because the only failure in life is not trying. I believe in you just like you believe in me. NETWORK’

The experienced athlete had raced over a hill and hit one of the plastic signs on the side of the track before crashing to the ground during the Olympic final run.

When a cloud of gunpowder engulfed the American, his right leg appeared to hit the ground first. Vonn then rolled forward again and appeared to hit her shoulder on the ground before coming to a halt on the slope.

Medical teams arrived to intervene after Vonn ended up on the runway.

American is carried into the back of an ambulance after a run

Vonn was transported to Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso, where she received treatment.

The Cortina crowd fell silent when medical teams arrived to treat Vonn, who was later flown down from the mountain.

A photo obtained by the AP moments before Vonn’s accident showed the skier in the air, speeding toward the ski gate and hurtling down the mountain.

His right arm appeared to be on the wrong side of the door, and the strength of his body was clearly visible as the ski door appeared to be broken.

Vonn rolled over seconds after hitting the door as her body spun 180 degrees before the heavy impact.

Organizers then started playing background music amidst the skier’s screams as he was lifted onto a stretcher.

The downhill race was later suspended, with other competitors taking off their skis at the top of the track while they waited for Vonn to be evacuated.

Harrowing scenes then followed, with Vonn grimacing in pain as she lay on her back in the snow, her skis not separated from her boots. The American was also heard crying in pain as paramedics laid him on a stretcher.

The injury marks a new chapter in a career defined by physical endurance, including three Olympic medals and 20 World Cup crystal globe titles over two decades.