Lindsey Vonn Lifts Weights Post-Fracture
Olympic skiing legend Lindsey Vonn began lifting weights just weeks after suffering a leg fracture at the Olympics. Her rapid return to strength training underscores her reputation for grit and resilience in injury recovery. The comeback timeline demonstrates an aggressive approach to rehabilitation that could inspire other athletes facing similar setbacks.
The injury occurred during the women's downhill at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics on February 8. Just 13 seconds into her run, the 41-year-old Vonn clipped a gate, resulting in a frightening crash that fractured her left tibia. This came only nine days after she had ruptured the ACL in the same knee during a separate crash. Vonn's injury was a complex tibia fracture that required multiple surgeries in both Italy and the United States. The situation became more critical when she developed acute compartment syndrome, a rare condition where swelling and bleeding in a confined space threatened her limb, with Vonn stating her surgeon "saved her leg" from a potential amputation. This Olympic appearance was itself a comeback for Vonn, who had retired from professional skiing in 2019, citing a body that was "broken beyond repair." She returned to the sport in late 2024 after undergoing a partial knee replacement and quickly found success, becoming the oldest woman to win a World Cup downhill race in 2025. Her career has been marked by a series of severe injuries, including multiple ACL and MCL tears, tibial plateau fractures, a fractured humerus, and a broken ankle. She has previously competed through significant pain, such as winning a gold medal at the 2010 Olympics with a severely bruised shin. Just 25 days after the complex fracture, Vonn posted a video to her social media on March 5 showing her back in the gym. The footage showed her getting out of a wheelchair to perform a workout that included stretches, massages, and upper body and core exercises with weights. The inspiring return to training drew praise from other sports icons, including NBA star LeBron James. In her post, Vonn acknowledged the "hard times" but emphasized she was "still working hard" with the goal of getting healthy.
