“I don’t want to close the door to competition”… Lindsey Vonn operated on for the ninth time but not resigned at 42

A terrible fall at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, months of suffering and nine operations. But still no renunciation. At 42, American alpine skiing legend Lindsey Vonn underwent a ninth surgery on her left leg on Monday, November 9. A new stage in an endless convalescence which does not extinguish his desire to get back on the slopes. The woman with 84 World Cup victories refuses to definitively consider retirement.

“This day has been on my calendar for a while now, and the moment has finally arrived,” she said in a message posted on her Instagram account, just before heading into the operating room. “I was nervous and anxious about this procedure, but at the same time eager to hopefully be able to turn the page.” Above all, she hopes that this ninth operation will be the last. “I pray that this is the case,” she wrote, while acknowledging that some elements could still evolve during the intervention.

“I want to get back on the slopes before I can make a decision”

The American fell heavily on February 8, just 13 seconds after the start of the Olympic downhill in Cortina. Already weakened by a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament which occurred a few days earlier, she had suffered an open fracture and a fracture of the tibial plateau of the left leg. A particularly serious trauma which forced her to increase the number of visits to the operating room.

However, the idea of ​​a return to competition remains very present. She is also officially committed to the American squad for the 2026-2027 World Cup season. "There are still a lot of unanswered questions in my mind and I'm still trying to digest everything that happened," she explained. Before clearly setting out his conditions: "I don't want to close the door to competition. I think I have to be at 100% of my abilities, and I want to return to the slopes before I can make a decision."

Triple Olympic medalist, including a downhill title in Vancouver in 2010, Lindsey Vonn still needs time before planning. But there's no question of saying goodbye to skis just yet. “Today is another beautiful day!” his mother reminded him. “I hope she’s right,” concluded the American.