Lindsey Vonn has revealed the full extent of the injuries she sustained in her horrific crash during the women’s downhill at the Winter Olympics, confirming that she came close to losing her leg entirely. The 41 year old American skier broke her leg in the fall on February 8 and has since undergone multiple operations.
In an Instagram video posted on Monday, Vonn described the injury as “by far the most extreme, painful and challenging” she has ever endured, and for a woman who has suffered more than her share of injuries throughout a decorated career, that is saying something. She revealed that she developed compartment syndrome, a condition where excessive swelling and blood accumulation in the affected area crushes everything within it: muscles, nerves, tendons.
“Doctor Tom Hackett saved my leg,” Vonn said. “He saved my leg from being amputated. He did what’s called a fasciotomy, where he cut open both sides of my leg, let it breathe and he saved me.”
The detail that makes the story even more extraordinary is this: Vonn entered the Olympics having already ruptured her ACL in the build up. Had that injury not happened, Doctor Hackett would not have been on site to perform the emergency procedure. “If I hadn’t torn my ACL, which I would’ve torn anyway with this crash, if I hadn’t have done that, Tom wouldn’t have been there,” she said. “He wouldn’t have been able to save my leg.”
In addition to the broken leg, Vonn has also broken her ankle and required a blood transfusion due to low haemoglobin from the blood loss during her surgeries. She now faces approximately a year of recovery before the bones heal, followed by a decision on whether to have the metal hardware removed and finally repair her ACL.
Cristiano Ronaldo was among those responding to Vonn’s post, commenting: “Champions are defined by the moments they win, and the moments they refuse to give up.” Whether Vonn ever skis again remains to be seen, but her willingness to share the brutal reality of what happened deserves respect.
